‘Gas supply from Bhit field should be restored’

FCCI says textile sector has come to standstill due to gas suspensions.

FAISALABAD: Gas shortage should be coped up with immediate maintenance of Bhit gas field before industries stop complete their export orders and domestic demand, said Mian Zahid Aslam, president of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) on Monday.

After gas curtailment of 68 days, industries in Faisalabad received gas for three days last month.

Due to such long suspension of gas supply, industrial production almost halted, but now because of supply suspension from Bhit gas field has become the final nail in the coffin.

Aslam continued that natural gas was an inevitable input particularly for the ‘wet process’ in the textile manufacturing. As no other alternative is available of natural gas, the whole process chain had halted due to unavailability of gas to the industry.

He said that industry is not supplied gas for four days a week and any suspensions apart from that result in hefty losses for the textile sector.

The FCCI chief said, “Faisalabad contributes 50% to the total textile exports. Thus, due to the rise in domestic demand and export orders, the industry was operating at maximum capacity manageable these days to meet the orders.”

Businesses and industries were already passing through unfavourable conditions of high business costs and deteriorating law and order situation.

Aslam urged the government and the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines to restore gas supply immediately, and supply gas for seven days a week to make up for production losses due to suspensions from the Bhit gas field.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.

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