Brought to a halt: Industry on verge of collapse

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked the government to ensure a steady supply of electricity to industrial units of the province. “The war-torn industry of K-P is on the verge of collapse due to power outages,” said KPCCI President Fawad Ishaq.

Addressing a press conference at the KPCCI office on Monday, Ishaq said K-P’s 2,700 industrial units, out of which 700 have already closed down, require only 160 megawatts. “Functional units are running on 50% capacity, rendering a large part of the workforce unemployed,” he said.

Talking about the gas infrastructure development cess (GIDC), Ishaq said despite repeated requests the government incorporated it in the budget. “Every truck that enters the province will have to pay Rs8,000 in terms of GIDC which the traders clearly cannot afford.”

He warned traders will protest against the GIDC implementation across the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2015.