Addressing protest meeting at Canal Road, leaders of Textile Associations stated that despite tall claims of political leadership and assurances of authorities concerned, gas supply to industrial sector of Faisalabad region could not be restored on the eighth consecutive day. They mentioned that industries of Faisalabad sector were without gas as the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) announced load shedding for industrial sector for indefinite period on December 8.
The SNGPL authorities apprised that the decision to halt gas supply was taken due to huge gap between demand and supply, while gas crises hit hard the industrial zone as eight days had already passed without gas and the production process in textile mills had come to a standstill. Some factories have resorted to utilise woods and are running the boilers by burning them as fuel. However, most of the factories are not functional for the past eight days that has adversely affected the daily-wage workers.
The workers as well as the industrialists in the city have strongly resented forced holidays due to more than a week suspension of gas supply. The daily wagers were of the view that they have been thrown out of employment, as the industry cannot run without gas supply. "We have exhausted whatever savings we had and now our families are left to face starvation," they added.
They said industries were already running on 30 percent of their installed capacity due to six hours load-shedding of electricity and the suspension of gas supply for the last one-week had rendered the industrial wheel to a complete halt. Alamdar Hussain, Vice Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association said the textile sector was the worst hit as it would not be able to fulfil the export orders for Christmas and the New Year and availing the EU Autonomous Trade Preference Scheme (AUTPS) 25 percent quota granted to Pakistan ending December 2012 and also affecting the exports under the Scheme in the beginning of 2013.