"The rise in number of unemployed would definitely give air to anti-government sentiments and this single step would throw thousands workers out of jobs", they said and added that it is not the industry only that would be suffering massively but the government would also be an ultimate loser on many counts. "How can the industry afford to pay the all-time high mark up when there is no gas for the industry", they questioned.
They said there is a global phenomenon that industry is given top priority whereas in Pakistan it comes to the least and other sectors are given priority. They also urged the government to get replaced the obsolete gas geysers and heaters with latest solar geysers and heaters to ensure gas to the industry. Around 40 per cent of the industrial units in Punjab run on gas and gas suspension means no production by almost half of the industry and a loss of millions of rupees to the exchequer, they said.
How the industry would be able to manage export orders worth millions of dollars when there is no gas? What about the thousands of daily wagers who have only one source of income? And above all, they added, how the government would convince both the local and foreign investors for investment when it is unable to manage the supply of gas to existing industrial units.
They said the shortage of gas is not the only issue but its improper distribution also remains a cause of worry. The Lahore Chamber had sent an SOS call to the federal government on continuous energy disruptions as the gas and electricity were a prerequisite for the smooth functioning during winter. Despite competitive quality and price, Pakistan exporters were unable to make delivery on time, they added.