OUR STAFF REPORTER LAHORE The Lahore Township Industries Association (LTIA) has decided to launch a series of protests against massive scheduled and unscheduled power outages and on the first leg of protests a complete strike would be observed in the LTIA on April 26 (Tuesday). In subsequent protests around 40,000 industrialists and industrial workers would take to the streets against PEPCO and LESCO authorities. In a press statement issued here Saturday, Chairman of Lahore Township Industries Association Haroon Shafiq Chaudhry said that there would be no work in the entire industrial estate as all the 400 units would be closed down and their workers would be on the roads on April 26th. He said that the indifferent attitude of PEPCO authorities towards the industrial sector has pushed it to the wall and a large number of industrialists had already closed down their businesses. He said that it was very unfortunate that the Director General PEPCO could not keep his words he had given to the area industrialists on April 22 regarding ending the unannounced loadshedding. He said that the DG PEPCO had assured the industrialists that there would be no unannounced power outage in the Lahore Township Industrial Area but the situation remained the same that had forced the business community to take the extreme step. Haroon Shafiq Chaudhry said that a number of times concerned PEPCO and LESCO authorities were informed of the problems of the industry due to non-availability of power, but they did not respond and only because o their cold attitude, the industrialists have decided to register their protest through a 'series of protests. He said that government would have take measures to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to the industry as the recent energy crisis has left hundreds industrialist with no option but to close down their industrial units and if some relief package was not announced it would not be able for the economy to get back on rails. Chairman LTIA also appealed to the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to issue necessary directions to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the LTIA and other industrial areas of the city. PPI adds: Chairman of FPCCI Regional Committee for Punjab Traders Coordination Waqar Ahmad Mian has demanded of the government to take solid measures to resolve the issue of severe loadshedding otherwise the businessmen would take to streets. In a press statement issued here Saturday, Waqar Ahmad Mian, while strongly criticizing the government for its failure to trounce the energy crisis, said that more than 16 hours loadshedding in the urban and rural areas has annihilated the whole system. He said that industrialists, traders, common man, students and patients all are in deep trouble but government is not taking steps to control the crisis. He said that PPP govt has raises the electricity, gas and petroleum prices several times but did not bother to initiate a single project of power generation since PPP govts inception. He said industrial production has come down to the alarming stage, as industrial units are being closed and workers are losing their employment while traders are worried. He said that buyers are fading away but rulers are advising the nation to face gigantic loadshedding with patience. He said that abandoning of Kalabagh Dam project shows that PPP government has no interest to do some thing good for the Pakistani nation.