Industrialists oppose 12-hour gas outage

Sector to get uninterrupted supply for only four days a week.

KARACHI:

Industrialists of the city have slammed Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) for its 12-hour gas outage schedule on Friday and Saturday saying that it will further add to the miseries of the manufacturing sector.

Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) patron in-chief Mian Muhammad Ahmed on Friday said that the 12-hour gas load-shedding in industrial areas has hit the industry badly which is already going through tough economic problems.

SSGC announced 12-hour gas load-shedding earlier this week in all major industrial zones of Karachi for 12-hours each on Friday and Saturday. The gas utility says that it is facing unprecedented low gas supply from its gas fields and is forced to cut down supply.

This is in addition with a weekly schedule of 24-hour gas load shedding on Sundays for all the industrial and captive power producers of the city.

BQATI President Usman Ahmed in a press release said that gas is now become the major source of energy for the industries of Karachi and its load shedding especially in the current scenario has hit industries considerably.

The deteriorated law and order situation of Bin Qasim Industrial Zone has caused huge production losses and translating into surmounting financial losses, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2012.