ISLAMABAD, March 4: The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) has criticized the government’s decision to increase gas tariff for various slabs of domestic consumers.

In a statement here on Monday, the RCCI president, Sohail A. Sethi, said the consistent increase in diesel prices was having an adverse effect on industrial and agricultural economy, which had already been hit by water shortage.

He criticized the decision of the oil companies’ advisory committee to enhance price of petroleum products. He said it was a matter of concern that gas tariff had registered an increase of 70 to 140 per cent in three years due to the withdrawal of subsidy.

Mr Sohail said the increase would push up the cost of production and erode the industry’s competitiveness in the export market. This would affect the weak industrial units which might be forced to close down, thus making thousands of people jobless. He urged the government to review the decision of enhancing petroleum and gas tariff.