KARACHI: Hundreds of industrialists and businessmen on Wednesday held a protest demonstration outside the head office of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) for restoration of gas supply to all the industrial sectors.

The demonstrators, including the leadership of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Businessmen Group (BMG), warned that the campaign would continue until gas supply to all the industrial units was fully restored.

BMG chairman Zubair Motiwala, vice chairman Jawed Bilwani and KCCI president Muhammad Idrees expressed deep concerns over government’s negligence towards the looming crises.

They estimated that industries in Karachi faced losses of Rs45 billion in a day due to non-availability of gas.

Despite facing so many challenges, they said, the city continued to contribute more than 68 per cent revenue to the national exchequer followed by 54pc share in national exports while 52pc of textile exports also took place from the metropolis.

They demanded that the gas allocated to Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) from Sindh’s resources be returned back to the province. They said it was unfair to keep the city deprived of its own resources.

They said that rising gas demand of Balochistan during winter season was being fulfilled by SSGC alone, which received 125mmcfd gas from Sui whereas SNGPL, which took away 180mmcfd, stood completely spared from sharing the burden.

They stressed that the companies should share the burden of extra demand of Balochistan rationally.

They appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to respond immediately to the constitutional right of the business community of Karachi.

They feared that if such an alarming situation prevails, the country might face unrest due to closure of industries, and massive layoffs and drastic decline in the national exchequer might further lead to chaos.

Meanwhile, the SSGC management on Tuesday met with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and delegation of trade associations and industrial bodies.

Beside other issues, use of heavy suction boosters by the industrial units was also discussed. SSGC management presented a list of around 189 industries suspected to be involved in the use of illegal devices.

The governor took serious notice and ordered immediate disconnection of gas to all units involved in the criminal activity.

SSGC said it had suspended gas supply to 225 industries.

The company claimed that they tried to implement a framework along with the industries to generate 90mmcfd gas, but they did not cooperate.

Responding to the demand of bringing 280mmcfd gas back, the company said that it was prerogative of the federal government and interpretation of Article 158 of the Constitution was pending at the Supreme Court.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022