MULTAN, Jan 31th : Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said that seven grid stations in Multan divisions involving
MULTAN, Jan 23rd: Khawaja Muhammad Younus Chairman Zonal Standing Committee of FPCCI on Ancillary Textile Industry has said that electric load shedding & gas suspension has taken a huge toll over the volume of textile exports. “Despite good yield of cotton, textile exports of country could not exceed beyond $5 billion which was $5.23 during the same period last year due to the sole reason of energy shortage” he said. In a press statement issued here on Saturday He said that in the current season out of 110.18 million cotton bales produced, 10.353 millions bales were purchased by the local textile sector till 15th January 2010 while plenty of stocks are in hand. Contrary to the abundance of raw material available, dip in the export is alarming and need immediate attention of the government so that our trade deficit doesn’t touch to another record.Referring to the rising prices and shortage of yarn in the market which lead to agitation, he termed it shortage of energy in disguise of yarn. He informed that owing load shedding of electricity, entire spinning industry was paralyzed thus an artificial vacuum in the demand & supply lead to shortage & rise in the prices of yarn. “The impact of energy shortage is severe and multifaceted as at one hand it is creating problems in the supply chain of textile industry and at the other hand creating economic, social, and law & order problems” he added. He further said that though the international markets are much better now and offers growth opportunity for the Pakistan exporters but in the given the current circumstances & lack of Governments support will cease it all. Kh. Muhammad Younus said that Government must adhere to its announcements like 2% subsidy on local sale of yarn. He requested to the Government to ensure the supply of energy to the textile sector as per agreed load management schedule so that it could play its part in the development of country.
MULTAN, Jan 12th: Muhammad Anees Khawaja Chairman of All Pakistan Bedsheet & Upholstry Manufacturers Association (APBUMA) has said that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Tuesday suspended gas supply to all textile mills located in Punjab and NWFP for an indefinite period, impacting 75 per cent of the textile mills in the country.Closure of mills for one day is estimated to cost approximately Rs2 billion in terms of production losses. Since the decision of the cabinet committee, it said, the textile industry had faced on an average 18 days of gas supply suspension against 12 days as per the committee’s decision. All Pakistan Bedsheet & Upholstry Manufacturers Association said in a press statement that the Cabinet Committee on Gas Load Management which said gas supply would be suspended for only two days in a week. The industry was already enduring 10 to 12 hours of electricity load-shedding a day and hence no backup energy source was left for the industry to run its operations, it said.APBUMA expressed fear that the disruption in energy supply would cause huge financial losses to the spinning and weaving industry, 70 per cent of which were dependent on uninterrupted supply of gas. All Pakistan Bedsheets & Upholstery Association Chairman M. Anees Khawaja said that the textile sector is heading towards the disaster. He was responding to the suspension of Gas Supply to the industry for an indefinite period of time. He said that at one hand the Government is accepting all the conditions of IMF just to get meager financing of few millions Dollars at the other hand the industry which brings home billions of Dollars without any preconditions is deprived of its basic requirements. “Number of Pakistani Exporters who are in Germany to Attend Heimtextile Fair, are left in a state of confusion whether to accept new orders amid the fears of non completion due to energy crunch, thus a loss of new business opportunity”. He said that keeping in view the available resources of gas the textile sector had already made sacrificed for 2days and agreed for the supply 5days a week in the light of decision of Cabinet Committee on Gas Load Management.He was of the view that SNGPL must comply with the agreed share of gas supply to the textile sector as per the load management schedule and must divert more by suspending supply to KESC and others which could be converted to crude oil. “Already suffocating industry Owing to shortfall of more than 4000MW will have no space to breath in the absence of Gas”. Pointing to the other problems like prices of yarn, he said “it was not such grave in nature as it was available though at high prices, but as far as the availability of Gas & Electricity is concerned, these are not available even at rising prices which is an enigmatic and will result in a disaster beyond expectations. He urged Ministry of Textile and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources to intervene for the restoration of Gas supply to the Textile industry as per schedule agreed and direct the SNGPL authorities to take into confidence all the stakeholders before tacking any such decision. He said that thousands of families are dependent for their bread & butter on this industry, will lose their jobs if the current scenario prevails for long and can lead to anarchy.
MULTAN,Jan 2nd: Jamaat Islami Punjab Deputy SEcretary Rao Zafar Iqbal has strongly condemned the increase in prices of natural gas and CNG describing it unjust and demanded of the federal government to withdraw its decision, which would add to the miseries of the already inflation-hit people.Addressing a number of Meetings in Multan division today He said it was a New Year gift of the Government for the general consumers and Jamaat Islami would resist forcefully .JI leader said that an increase in price of CNG in terms of kilogram by Rs5.57 to Rs55.30 from Rs49.73 per kg in Potohar region (Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Gujar Khan). On the other hand for domestic consumers the tariff of gas for those who consume 50 M3 per month has been increased to Rs95.01 per MMBTU per month from Rs80.65 per MMBTU per month; for those who consume 50 to 100 M3 per month the tariff has been increased to Rs99.48 per MMBTU per month from Rs84.45 per MMBTU. Likewise the consumers who fall under second slab of over 200 M3 to 300 M3 per month the tariff would now be Rs383.42 per MMBTU as against Rs325.48 per MMBTU, and so on. Similarly the rate of other slabs has also been increased not only for domestic gas consumers, but also for commercial consumers as well as CNG stations, fertilisers factories, independent power producers and captive powers, cement factories.
A number of people said that with each passing day the government is burdening people with raising prices of daily use commodities. “First it was ‘atta’ followed by sugar and now the price of gas and electricity have been increased for general public. “We can’t understand what is this government trying to do? With the new increase in Sui gas bills people like me will not be able to pay their gas bills. I can’t understand how will we survive in this country,” he bemoaned.On the other hand, Punjab Urban Transport Owners Association President Muhammasd Ibrahim Khan announced an increase of Rs5 in stop-to-stop fares of local transport from Rs10 to Rs15. He said that they cannot run the transport on existing fares and they were compelled to increase the fares.Saying the transporters throughout Punjab have started charging Rs15 as stop-to-stop fare against Rs10, therefore they would also charge the same fare. He said that 100% Suzuki pickups and around 50% wagons run on CNG and they cannot afford to run their vehicles by charging existing fares.
However, District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) Multan made it clear that the transporters cannot increase the public transport fares on their own. “The government will take strict action against the transporters, if they will increase the fares on their own,” he added.
A female commuter said that the government is not thinking about the plight of a common man and is testing their patience. People are already facing high prices of daily use commodities and now the hike in price of gas and CNG will also increase their woes.
A number of people said that with each passing day the government is burdening people with raising prices of daily use commodities. “First it was ‘atta’ followed by sugar and now the price of gas and electricity have been increased for general public. “We can’t understand what is this government trying to do? With the new increase in Sui gas bills people like me will not be able to pay their gas bills. I can’t understand how will we survive in this country,” he bemoaned.On the other hand, Punjab Urban Transport Owners Association President Muhammasd Ibrahim Khan announced an increase of Rs5 in stop-to-stop fares of local transport from Rs10 to Rs15. He said that they cannot run the transport on existing fares and they were compelled to increase the fares.Saying the transporters throughout Punjab have started charging Rs15 as stop-to-stop fare against Rs10, therefore they would also charge the same fare. He said that 100% Suzuki pickups and around 50% wagons run on CNG and they cannot afford to run their vehicles by charging existing fares.
However, District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) Multan made it clear that the transporters cannot increase the public transport fares on their own. “The government will take strict action against the transporters, if they will increase the fares on their own,” he added.
A female commuter said that the government is not thinking about the plight of a common man and is testing their patience. People are already facing high prices of daily use commodities and now the hike in price of gas and CNG will also increase their woes.