LCCI demands gas tariff hike withdrawal

Lahore: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Kashif Anwar and Vice President Adnan Khalid Butt Monday urged the government to withdraw hike in gas tariff immediately in the larger interest of the economy.

They made this demand in a meeting with a delegation of paper, board and packaging, food and confectionary here at Lahore Chamber.

The delegation apprised LCCI office-bearers that repeated increase in gas prices are causing losses to the industry. Because of high gas bills, they added, the industrialists have started disconnecting the commercial gas meters. The government should consider the worries of the industry and bring down the gas prices.

The delegation members feared that that the challenges of industrial sector would swell and doing business would become difficult. On this occasion, the LCCI office-bearers said that 400 percent increase has been registered in gas prices during the current financial year. They said that increases in the electricity and gas tariff would hit the exports as it would jack-up cost of doing business manifold and expel the Pakistani products from the international market.

They said that such measures would hamper the growth of manufacturing sector, asserting that the hike in the gas tariff would create multiple problems for the industrialists as they have to bear heavy loss while fulfilling their export commitments. They said that gas tariff hike would also increase prices of daily necessities including confectionary items.

They LCCI office-bearers urged the departments concerned to avoid such decision while keeping in view the ongoing economic scenario in the country.

They said that even the slight increase in the cost of production, at this critical juncture would spell doom and oust Pakistani merchandise from the international export market. Therefore, the gas tariff hike should be withdrawn immediately, they concluded.