FAISALABAD, July 4: The Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) has termed the recent increase in gas tariff as a death warrant for the industry and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Talking to newsmen here on Tuesday, FCCI president Mian Muhammad Haneef expressed his anguish and concern over the gas price hike, which would be detrimental to the industrial sector and would result in huge financial losses for exporters.

He said the industry was totally ignored in the federal budget and not a single incentive was announced for promotion of trade activities. The unscheduled and scheduled load-shedding of electricity, over-billing and heavy taxation had become mental torture for industrialists and they were demanding some relief package after the budget, but the government increased gas tariff.

He said FCCI and other trade bodies of the country had repeatedly been requesting the government not to enhance gas prices for the next three years to stabilise the industrial sector. But all suggestions and requests were turned down, he said.

The FCCI chief said manufactures of all kinds of products were making a hue and cry about high production cost.

He urged Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to look into the matter and immediately order withdrawal of the recent increase in gas tariff otherwise the economy would face a severe jolt and scores of labourers would become jobless.

GUJRANWALA: The Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has strongly protested against the gas tariff hike.