Office bearers of the Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) have exprtessed serious concerns over Friday’s 12-hour gas shutdown notice to Bin Qasim Industrial Zones. These included Mian Muhammed Ahmed, Patron in-chief, Mr Usman Ahmed, President, Mr Abdul Rasheed Jan Mohammed, Vice President, Mr Shakil Ashfaq, Chairman Law Committee, Mr Farhan Ansari, Chairman Law & Order Advisory Committee along with the Managing Committee.
Mr Usman Ahmed, President BQATI said natural gas provided by SSGC is the major source of energy for industries.
“In the past we have done our best to respond positively and responsibly to SSGC requests of cut down in consumption in view of larger interest of the country till January 31, 2012, but now the industry is shaken at the sudden and unprecedented gas shut down announcement on Friday, which is not at all justified”. He added that the situation, unfortunately, has worsened. Frequent Gas shut down notices, PVMA & Oil Tanker Association’s strike and deteriorated law & order situation of Bin Qasim Industrial Zone have caused huge production losses to industries which were already besieged by the law & order crisis in the city and floods in Sindh. All this is translating into surmounting financial losses and threatening the survival of many industries.
Mr Abdul Rasheed Jan Mohammed (vice president) was of the view that industries, particularly edible oil processing refineries, solvent extraction plant, soap manufacturing and others, need minimum 10-12 hours to start and shut their operations. They are in a miserable condition, industries that are on captive power and without alternate arrangement have no solution but to close operations, ultimately there will be hundreds of millions of rupees losses to national exchequer. If the government does not supply proper, adequate and full pressure gas to industries, which comprise 50% of the export mix, Pakistan will be ruined, resulting in unmanageable employment problems.
Mian Ahmed said Bin Qasim Industrial Zone is the back bone of the economy, where major foreign direct investment in process, the industrial zone is spread around 25000 acres and around 150,000 strong workforce is employed. At a time when industrial production needs to be boosted to help improve the economy, incidents like this shut down will act as a serious deterrent to investorsm, local as well as foreign. BQATI Managing Committee stressed the need to stop this practice immediately in the larger interest of the national economy.
