Gas shortages hurting industry, workers

Union demands government to alter suspension schedule.

FAISALABAD:

Hundreds of workers lost their jobs and 400 industrial units were closed down due to three-day gas suspension in Faisalabad, which started on Wednesday.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) had issued a schedule stating that gas supply would remain suspended from the morning of April 6 till April 9.

Union workers claimed that gas was a main input for running textile-related units, and there is no other alternative for them to continue operations. Frequent suspension of gas had created a number of problems for them and their associations, particularly in dealing with exporters and customers.

The country is also losing foreign exchange, as exporters are facing difficulties delivering goods according to schedule. Union workers claimed that the president and prime minister had assured that gas supply would be suspended for only two days for the industrial sector, but the SNGPL had done otherwise.

They demanded the federal government to take immediate steps to reduce the gas suspension schedule for the industrial sector since it’s the lifeline of the economy.

A spokesman from the transportation sector also expressed concern over the two-day weekly closure of CNG stations, saying commuters and transporters were facing difficulties. He demanded the government to exempt CNG stations from weekly gas closure.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th,  2011.