KARACHI: Bin Qasim Association of Trade +ACY- Industry (BQATI has appealed the government to stop Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) from gas closure to captive power plants for three months, a statement said on Friday.

Hussain Agha, President BQATI, Iftikhar Ahmed Senior Vice President and Haider Amin Vice President and Mian Muhammed Ahmed Patron In-chief BQATI in a joint statement the other day said that SSGC has issued a notice of gas closure during the period of December to February, i.e, three months which is worrying for the business community.

Hussain Agha, President BQATI strongly condemned notices issued to captive power generating industry by SSGC. He said that BQATI totally rejects these notices and the justification clause provided in the notices, completely unjustified and will lead to the closure of industrial units which are completely dependent on SSGC, as they cannot have any alternative at such short notice.

He criticized the SSGC for not taking the industries into confidence and making the decision in such abrupt manner. The government must understand that non-supply of gas would render thousands of industrial workers unemployed, cause losses of millions of rupees in revenue to the national exchequer and will discourage investors contemplating industrial investment in the country.

He said that the only available option to captive powers based units is natural gas as K-Electric is unable to provide uninterrupted supply in the current situation. —PR