Textile sector sets deadline for resumption of gas supply

Gas, power outages have cut operating capacity by a third: APTMA.

LAHORE:

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), Punjab Chapter has given an ultimatum to the government to provide Punjab-based textile mills with uninterrupted power supply within a week, else, they will be bound to start protesting to save the most precious industry of the country.

“The textile sector Punjab has been hit worst due to the energy crisis, as with gas curtailment, we have to bear up to 10 hours of power outages,” said Shehzad Ali Khan, chairman of Aptma Punjab, in a press briefing. This is a major problem for Punjab which provides $1 billion exports monthly and employment to ten million people, he said.

With mutual understanding of all the stakeholders, we decided to give one-week time to the government, during which we will try to meet with concerned officials to resolve the issue as we believe that present government is pro-industry.

According to Aptma, the industry was shut for 77 days for the year 2008-09, 95 days for 2009-10, 136 days for 2010-11, 185 days for 2011-12 and for 62 days for the first six months of 2012-13.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2012.