July 19, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1423

KARACHI, July 18: The All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) has taken strong exception of bulldozing and demolition of water hydrants around the periphery of SITE by the city government.

In a statement issued on Thursday, APTPMA regional chairman M Nisar Shekhani, while criticizing the act said that the city government should have at least taken the Sindh government into confidence before undertaking such an arbitrary act.

He said that all these hydrants are legal and have licences issued by KMC. He further said that 40 per cent of textile processing industries of the country are located in SITE industrial area and water is the basic raw material of textile processing industries especially value added textiles.

The processing industry, he said has contributed in skills as well as manpower but such self-defeating decisions will surely affect $10 billion export target fixed for new fiscal.

Nisar Shekhani apprehended that such decisions would lead to complete closure of textile processing industry and a large number of labour will be affected.

He also urged the governor of Sindh, Corps Commander and minister of industries to look into the matter and restore the hydrants at the earliest.