Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) President Salman Aslam has expressed concerns over the sudden shutdown of gas by the Sui Southern Gas Company to industries across Sindh, especially the non-importing industry.  

Salman Aslam said that the SSGC, without any consultation, announced the sudden gas cut-off, which caused severe financial loss to the industries. He said that the gas cut-off in Karachi alone was beyond comprehension. The government must manage to overcome the crisis by cutting off gas equally throughout the country.

President KATI said that equal closure across the country would enable the units to face the crisis with a slight reduction. In just Karachi alone, the closure of gas in the name of load management harms the country’s economy and increases the risk of unemployment. He said that most of the industrialists in Sindh have decided to relocate their industry from Karachi due to unwarranted gas cut-off.

Salman Aslam further said that the government should abolish the tax on the price of RLNG for the industrialists of Karachi so that the industrialists can buy RLNG as an alternative. He said that RLNG was already getting more expensive due to the extra cost of freight charges. The government had imposed additional taxes on it, which prevented the industrialists from buying imported gas. The government should also provide gas rates and facilities to the industrialists of Sindh, similar to the industry of Punjab.

President KATI said that with the intervention of Governor Sindh, the SSGC had agreed to supply uninterrupted gas to the industries, which Sui Southern Gas Company was violating. He demanded that gas supply to industries be restored on a priority basis to continue without any delay.