Saturday, January 09, 2010
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Industrialists of the Lahore Township Industrial Area (LTIA) on Friday warned of more protests if unannounced load-shedding was not stopped immediately.
They appealed to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to look into the matter which was hitting the entire industrial sector hard.
LTIA Chairman Zaheer Bhutta, Vice Chairman Khalid Mehmood Chohan and others addressed the protesters.
The demonstration started from LTIA office and ended at Hamdard Chowk. The protesters were chanting slogans and carrying banners inscribed with slogans against government authorities.
They said prolonged power outages had forced them to launch a protest but if the Lahore Electric Supply Company failed to meet its commitment, they would be left with no option but to stage more protests.
Addressing the protesters, former LCCI president Mian Anjum Nisar said the business community was under the impression that there was an acute shortage of electricity in the country and they were ready to cooperate with the government, but unfortunately unannounced power outages had pushed the entire industrial sector to the wall and forced them to take to the streets.
Former LTIA chairman Babar Mehmood said thousands of industrial workers were facing the threat of unemployment in the wake of non-availability of electricity but the government was playing the role of a silent spectator.
PIAF Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said the economic crisis would further deepen in coming days as the industry had failed to meet existing export orders let alone new orders.
LTIA Chairman Chaudhry Zaheer Bhutta said the bureaucracy was not interested in improving the situation and was pushing the industrialists to come on streets.
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