PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour expressed concern over the decision of gas suspension to industries and CNG sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from next week.
Bilour called it a move against the constitutional rights of the province wherein the gas is producing in surplus quantity.
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The SCCI chief informed the SNGPL [Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited] has issued a notification regarding suspension of gas supplies to general industries and CNG sector in name of load management w.e.f September 13, 2021 till improvement of the situation, which is unacceptable to the business community. Bilour asked to immediately withdraw the decision of gas suspension to industries and CNG sector in KP, otherwise, the business community will stage anti-government protest. “Gas and electricity as prime utility and lifeline for industries, halting them, is tantamount to bringing stagnation in industrial growth,” He said.
The SCCI president went on to say that the industrial growth has already been slowed down because of the Covid-19 pandemic, while disruption of gas in industrial areas would further bring negative impacts on production with outfall to likely delay export orders as well as domestic supply of goods in the long run. Mr Bilour was talking to a group of industrialists here at his office on Saturday.
Surplus production
KP is producing a surplus gas against the total consumption, despite the fact, the industries are not fully supplying this important utility, which is a sheer violation of the article 158-A, of the constitution of the country that has guaranteed that the area has the first right to fully exploit its natural resources.
Furthermore, he elaborated that the gas consumption of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is around 200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against the total production of approximately 400 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas and 830 tons liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on a daily basis.
Sherbaz Bilour also expressed grave concern over unannounced and hours-long electricity load shedding to commercial and industrial consumers, asking the department concerned to ensure uninterrupted power supply to flourish businesses and industries, which are the major source toward contributing into the national economy at optimal level.
On the occasion, the SCCI president demanded of the Federal Minister for Energy, Hammad Azhar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum, Tabish Gohar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other relevant high officials concerned to take immediate notice of gas and electricity suspension to industries and ensure uninterrupted supply of these major utilities in order to promote industrial development in the province.