LAHO RE - All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has reacted strongly to the withdrawal of load shedding exemption to the textile industry, incurring 21 percent production loss a day. The APTMA spokesman said the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) had withdrawn the exemption on load shedding for textile industry on May 14 for a week. He said the management of APTMA held meeting with the Pepco officials on May 16, 2009 wherein it was assured that the electricity load shedding for the textile industry/member mills of APTMA would be exempted on 20th May 2009. Despite this, member mills are still suffering from scheduled & unscheduled load shedding. According to the APTMA spokesman, the textile industry was experiencing announced and unannounced load shedding for five to eight hours a day on independent & grouped feeders. The PEPCO-reliant textile units, he said, are bound to close down their operations with no respite in sight. The APTMA spokesman has urged the Managing Director Pepco to issue direction for an immediate exemption from load shedding for the textile industry/member mills of APTMA and save industry from closure on account of non supply of electricity & consequent production losses.