KARACHI: Industrialists in Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) on Saturday said that they are shutting down factories owing to poor availability of gas.
The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has planned not to provide gas supplies to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations across the province on Saturday.
SITE Association Chairman Saleem Parekh announced that “Industries in SITE area will be closed from Sunday, December 30”.
Parekh added that a protest over the matter will be staged on Tuesday outside the Sindh Governor House.
“We are suffering huge losses owing to the mismanagement of SSGC.”
Industrialists and SSGC officials are expected top hold meetings today to discuss the gas crisis.
The SSGC earlier this month had announced that it was stopping the supply of gas to the CNG sector and captive power plants as it was not getting the required pressure and amount of gas for distribution due to a technical fault being experienced at some gas fields.
Subsequently, Karachiites had suffered a serious transport crisis when a majority of the public transport vehicles stayed off the roads because of suspension of gas supply to CNG stations by SSGC.
Owners of public transport who did bring their vehicles out on the roads despite the CNG closure charged hefty fares from people who had no option but to pay.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered that the boards of directors of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and SSGCL be dissolved owing to the prevailing gas shortfall in the country.
The premier had given directions for stricter action against the gas suppliers.
A day after ordering a fact-finding committee to launch an inquiry against the managing directors of both SNGPL and SSGCL, the federal government decided to reshuffle the companies’ boards of directors over purported poor performance. On the prime minister’s instructions, the boards of directors of both the companies were dissolved.
