Gas load-shedding in industrial areas afflicts export production units

KARACHI: Gas load-shedding in the industrial areas of Karachi has noticeably affected industrial production for exporting items while the businesses fear delay in international orders, ARY News reported on Thursday.

“How can we continue the production of ongoing orders when there’s no gas to fuel industries,” said Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) president Sheikh Umer Rehan talking to ARY News.

“There’s no one to heed our grievances,” Sheikh lamented.

The industrial areas, across Karachi and its periphery, to experience continuous gas outages were SITE area, Korangi, New Karachi, F. B area, Nooriabad and Landhi.

We have been protesting the unprecedented shortage and outage of gas in all of the industrial divisions, KATI president noted.

The load-shedding, however, is not limited to industrial regions alone and residential areas have also registered their severe protest for experiencing a perpetual dearth of gas.

In Orangi Town’s Mominabad neighbourhood people took to streets enraged over the gas crisis.

The angry crowd chanted slogans against the disregard of relevant authorities as they expressed their grievances. “We can’t cook our food or even make rotis,” they said as they took over a Sui Southern Gas Company’s service car to vandalize it.

Read: SSGC to cut gas supply to govt hospitals over non-payment

In response to people’s protests and complaints, provincial energy minister Imtiaz Shaikh took notice of the situation and expressed grave concern over load-shedding by both K Electric and SSGC.

“Their treatment meted out to Karachiites is that of an enemy,” Shaikh noted, adding that people from all areas and factions suffer at the hands of these entities.

Shaikh wondered if load-shedding is taking place in this hot weather, what would it be like in winters.

For excessive scheduled and unscheduled electricity load-shedding in the metropolis, the provincial minister blamed federal government for letting KE have leeway with it.