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FAISALABAD, Oct 26: The All-Pakistan Powerloom owners Association and other organizations of textile ancillary units have threatened to hold countrywide demonstrations to protest against the frequent hikes in power tariff.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, the association’s chairman, Rana Ikhlaq Ahmed, and office-bearers of other bodies pointed out that powerloom owners and workers had already started a campaign in Multan to protest against the continuous increase in power tariff. If the government failed to take cognizance of the situation, then industrialists and labourers of Faisalabad and its adjoining cities would be left with no option but to take to roads, they added.
They said scores of industrial units with powerlooms and printing and dying machines had closed down due to the hike in power tariff while a good number of factories were on the verge of collapse. The textile sector, the backbone of economy, is being ignored by the authorities concerned. This has resulted in unemployment and recession, they maintained.
They alleged that policy makers were playing in the hands of international donor agencies. The government agencies, instead of providing relief to owners of textile ancillary units, had burdened them with heavy taxation.
They said employers as well as employees in the powerloom sector had been observing strikes and holding demonstrations to protest against the ill-conceived policies of successive governments during the past decade, but to no avail.
They said hundreds of jobless youths had committed suicide due to financial constraints in the last three years. However, the government had not taken any positive steps in the wake of market recession. They assured full support to the protesting powerloom owners and labourers of Multan.
They urged upon President Gen Pervez Musharraf to direct Wapda authorities to announce incentives like reduction in power tariff for the powerloom sector, which, they added, should be exempted from all taxes for a decade.
LOOTED: Outlaws made off with cash, ornaments worth thousands of rupees and snatched four motorcycles and a car in seven strikes in the city during the last 24 hours.
Masked bandits injured seriously a housewife for putting up resistance during a dacoity attempt in Zafar Iqbal’s house in Sialvi Colony. Later, they fled after looting ornaments and other valuables worth thousands of rupees.
Four armed dacoits barged into the house of Muhammad Zahid in Sarfraz Colony and fled after looting 70 tolas of gold, thousands of rupees in cash and other valuables.
Two unidentified robbers snatched a two-wheeler (FDX-3901) from shopkeeper Muhammad Iqbal in Mansoorabad.
Highwaymen snatched a car, thousands of rupees in cash and a mobile telephone from trader Amir Nisar on Service Road in the limits of Nishatabad police station.
Three masked bandits snatched a motorcycle (FDZ-6520) from Atif Aslam in Hajveri Town in the jurisdiction of Sargodha Road police station.
Two unidentified robbers snatched a two-wheeler from Muhammad Iqbal at gunpoint in Amin Town.
Ahmed Ali was deprived of his two-wheeler by unidentified bandits on the Faisalabad-Samundri Road.
