HYDERABAD, March 5: The senior vice president of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mohammad Akram Arian, has expressed grave concern over the introduction of the MMBTU formula of gas tariff for industrial units.

This he said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

He said that if the old tariff was not restored, the industrial units might be closed and create more unemployment in the country.

He said that the cost of production of industrial units had increased by 11 to 12 per cent due to the enhanced gas tariff which had rendered the country’s goods in the international market uncompetitive.

He said that the increase in gas tariff was tantamount to signing a death warrant for the export industry.

He pointed out that keeping in view the declared policy of president General Pervez Musharraf, the industrial consumers had installed gas power generators to reduce the cost of production of goods, but the introduction of the MMBTU formula had totally nullified these efforts.

He appealed to the president of Pakistan to restore the old gas charges at least for Kotri and Hyderabad Industrial Trading Estates in the interest of the industrial development of the rural areas.

CCP: The secretary general, Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP), comrade Moula Bux, has expelled three members of the party Aziz Ahmed, Maazullah and Aslam Bangalzai from the party for working against its interests.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said that these people had tried to create groupings in the party and also held a parallel conference on Feb 08. He has informed all the party cadres to severe their relations with the expelled members.