Call made for end to gas loadshedding

LAHORE - The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged SNGPL authorities to end gas loadshedding as it had not only curtailed industrial production but also adding to unemployment.
LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry raised the demand in a statement here on Friday.
He said the industrial sector was already passing through a critical juncture due to acute shortages of electricity and gas. He said the business community was sure that due to a change in weather and a decrease in domestic use of gas, its supply to the industrial sector would improve but unfortunately there was no improvement in its supply, adding to misery of the business community.
The LCCI President said that a number of industrial units would be left with no other option but to close down their operations if the gas supply situation remained the same for a few more days.
Zafar Iqbal said that gas loadshedding continued in November because of higher domestic demand but now when domestic consumption had already decreased considerably there was hardly any justification for SNGPL authorities for the loadshedding.
He said that it seemed that some elements in the gas department were hatching conspiracies against the government to defame it, which was otherwise doing a lot for the economic revival of the country.
He said that they were unable to understand that why the business community was not taken into confidence over industry-related issues and if the SNGPL was facing some supply related issues they must bring them to the notice of real stakeholders.
The LCCI President urged Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to look into the matter and issue necessary directions to authorities concerned.