January 13, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 03, 1429

SWABI, Jan 12: The supply of natural gas to the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate (GAIE) has remained cut off since Friday.

Sources said on Saturday that industrialists held an emergency meeting and expressed concerns over the non-supply gas and power outage in the mill area, causing huge loss to mill owners.

The meeting discussed various ways to handle the crisis and decided to contact the federal secretary for petroleum and other top officials for resolving it. The industrialists also decided to take up the issue with NWFP Governor Owais Ghani, Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk and general manager of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.

Sources at the SNGPL said that low pressure and prolonged power loadshedding were main reasons for non-supply of gas to the Gadoon Estate, adding that the supply would not be restored till pressure in the main pipeline improved.

“Gas pressure in the main supply line is extremely low,” they added.

The industrialists warned the authorities concerned that if the government failed to take remedial steps, a large number of daily-wage earners could lose their jobs. The situation could also create a law and order problem in the GAIE, they said.