FAISALABAD, Oct 13: Industrialists plan a protest drive against the government over unscheduled power and gas loadshedding that, what they say, has been hampering business for many months.

They have announced a protest demonstration and a sit-in outside the Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company for Tuesday (today) to press the government to resolve power crisis.

Making the protest drive a success, textile industry owners and traders have formed a ‘Supreme Alliance Council’ and the associations part of the council are: All Pakistan Sizing Industries, Pakistan Council of Powerlooms, Anjuman-i-Tajran, Hosiery Manufacturers Association and Cloth Board.

A council representative, Waheed Khaliq, said the government had not consulted the industrialists over policies regarding business. He said the protest was an indication for the quarters concerned that widespread protests could erupt if traders’ demands were not heeded. He said entrepreneurs would also stage a hunger strike camp at the Clock Tower intersection.

This will be the second protest by industrialists in two-and-a-half month. Earlier, the district witnessed a five-day long strike in July by the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI). Though the strike was not as successful as announced by the chamber officer bearers, however, it forced the government to pay heed towards the issue of power outages.

The strike was called off when industrialists were given assurance by the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who visited the Lahore Chamber of Commerce for an award distribution ceremony, that problem of loadshedding would be resolved soon, but to no avail.

On Sunday, scores of powerlooms labourers protesting power breakdowns were booked by Sargodha Road police station.

An FCCI delegation met Governor Salman Taseer on Monday and informed him of their apprehensions.

Former FCCI president Mian Aftab Ahmed said industrialists were not being discussed over issues pertaining to the industry and gas and power suspension was outcome of this negligence. The governor said being the representative of the federal government he would forward all issues to the government. The response disappointed industrialists who were expecting some positive response from the governor.