Gas to textile mills suspended

LAHORE (PR) - Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Monday suspended the gas supply to all textile mills located in Punjab and NWFP for an indefinite period.
According to a press release, the suspension of gas supply is contrary to the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Gas Load Management that ensured suspension of gas only for two days in a week. The industry is already enduring 10 to 12 hours a day electricity loadshedding and thus no back-up energy source is left for the industry to run its operations.
It is apprehended that the energy supply disruption will cause huge financial losses to the spinning and organized weaving industry, 70% of which is dependent on the smooth supply of gas. Closure of mills for one day is estimated to cost approximately 2 billion rupees in terms of production losses. Since the decision of the Cabinet Committee, textile industry has already endured on an average 18 days gas supply suspension as against 12 days as per the Cabinet Committee decision.
Gohar Ejaz Chairman APTMA Punjab has urged the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources to intervene and direct SNGPL to immediately restore gas supply to the textile industry on priority basis enabling the mills to undertake uninterrupted production mainly meant for exports. He also appealed to the domestic consumers to conserve gas during the period of unprecedented weather condition for the sake of industry, export and employment.