SIALKOT, Feb 29: A large number of surgical forging units, small foundries and farm machinery manufacturing units have been closed by owners in Sialkot, Daska, Bhopalwala, Sambrial, Begowala, Uggoki, Motra, Pasrur, Chawinda and Badiana.

Surgical Forging Units Association's Sialkot president Haji Saleem Mughal, Agricultural Instruments Manufacturers Association's Daska president Mirza Munawar Hussain and other related bodies' representatives told newsmen at a press conference on Sunday that miller created 'artificial' shortage of pig iron and steel sheets after increasing the prices by 300 per cent which has enhanced the production cost manifold.

They said that the closer of these units would affect the export of surgical instruments from Sialkot and decrease the supply of farm machinery from Daska. The situation has also rendered hundreds of industrial workers and labourers jobless, they said.

They urged the government to immediately take effective measures to bring down the prices of pig iron and steel sheets otherwise they would go on strike from March 3.