Former Punjab Minister for Industries and Director of Mehmood group of Industries Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi has endorsed the policy statement of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) with respect to the captive power to generate in-house electricity alleging the government of hatching a conspiracy against Punjab-based textile industry to sell it expensive electricity (Rs 12 per unit) by depriving it of electricity generated by its own efficient captive power plants (CPPs) and push it to the failed Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) system and finally to bankruptcies.
Roomi said the textile industry has invested billions of dollars on the installation of CPPs in order to meet energy requirements to safeguard it from electricity shortages.
He said the industry has installed a total capacity of 3,000 megawatts CPPs on both the Sui Southern Gas Company and the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd networks, resulting into achieving record $14 billion exports. However, the industry could have been ruined terribly in the absence of CPPs, as the electricity shortage had already played havoc with the industry in Punjab. He said the vested interest quarters are after the textile industry now to ruin the economy of Pakistan but the APTMA would not allow them to fulfil their nefarious designs.
Jalaluddin Roomi further said the campaigners should stop maligning the CPPs installed by the industry of Pakistan for personal gains.