As Punjab industry is suffering at least 12 hours power loadshedding and four-day gas suspension, textile manufacturers have strongly protested at the injudicious distribution of electricity and gas supply, calling for an equitable supply.

“Punjab alone should not be made sole victim of power and gas shortage, rather it should be shared amongst all the federating units,” demanded All Pakistan Textile Mills Association central chairman Ahsan Bashir who was flanked by group leader Gohar Ejaz during a press conference.

Meanwhile, Kattar Band Road Industrial Association has expressed grave concern over repeated incidence of unscheduled hours-long power outages and demanded of the LESCO authorities to ensure power supply to the industrial area as per industrial schedules.

APTMA chairman maintained that the textile industry in Punjab has incurred huge production losses since disconnection of electricity and gas supply. They said textile industry in Punjab is losing millions of rupees a day due to capacity closure. The uncertainty level is on the rise and the industry is suffering badly due to its bad image on delivery of foreign orders.

APTMA chairman said it was unprecedented in the history of textile industry mills were being deprived of energy supply altogether.
Gohar Ejaz said that energy constitutes 35 percent of the conversion cost in spinning, weaving and processing mills. But no energy is available for either self-generation or through the system on independent feeders. There is rampant order cancellation and textile mills are facing acute liquidity crunch with every passing day.

He said that the industry cannot sustain with workers burden unless production activity starts up. The textile industry has already laid off one shift of workers and more will be shown the door if the Ministry of Water and Power failed to restore electricity supply to the industry.

President of Katar Band Road Industrial Association Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi said that industrial productions had nose-dived due to prolonged & unscheduled power cuts and industrial units were on the verge of collapse in the Kattar Band, which is the second largest industrial area after Kot Lakhpat, but LESCO authorities role playing the role of silent spectator and paying no heed. He said that the area is being treated as domestic consumer and power outage after every one hour had badly curtailed productions.

He said that the Kattar Bund Industrial Area was established four decades back and as many as 150 small and medium industrial units were operating in this area today.

He said that the industrial units in the estate include a renowned multinational pharmaceutical company, food industry with a bread and milk processing plant and auto parts manufacturers. He said a transformer-manufacturing concern and a state-of-the-art plastic product unit were also operative in the area.