Industrialists protest hike in gas tariff

PESHAWAR: The members of Hayatabad Industrialist Association on Thursday staged a protest against the hike in the gas tariff.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Ishaq, Muhammad Bakhtiar Afrid and others said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was producing gas in abundance and 45 percent of which was being supplied to Punjab.

They said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was using the gas produced in the province and the new rates of the RLNG was unjust and illegal. The protesting industrialist said that when the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not using the imported gas there was no justification of forcing them to pay tariff.

The association president, Muhammad Bakhtiar Afridi, said that they had secured orders for exports and that they would not be able to complete the orders in time and the KP’s already weak industrial sector would suffer.

They said that the industries were supporting the country at the time when all other sectors were in disarray. Faisal Kakakhel said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the first use right over the gas produced in their province.The new rates would destroy the industrial sector in the province and would increase joblessness, he added.