All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Chairman Mohsin Aziz has rejected electricity tariff hike and two weekly offs in the country, fearing production, exports and job losses with these anti-industry decisions. Earlier, he said, the government had increased power tariff by 4 per cent under the pretext of equalisation surcharge, followed by recent hike of Rs3.04 as fuel adjustment surcharge. APTMA Chairman said the textile industry was already suffering heavily on account of non-availability of electricity, affecting 30 per cent of production capacity. According to him, both the energy security and affordability are pinching the textile industry hard, as it is not able to transfer the cost and keep operations intact for 364 days a year. APTMA Chairman said the imposition of fuel adjustment surcharge with retrospective effect is also unacceptable and unjustified for export- oriented textile industry, as the industry has already closed the transactions and it is not possible to readjust them on new tariff. He demanded an immediate review of the decision for the survival of textile industry.
