PESHAWAR, Oct 11: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has urged the federal government to exempt Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's manufacturing sector from electricity loadshedding to help it remain economically viable.

Addressing media persons at the Chamber House here on Tuesday, the SCCI's recently elected president Afan Aziz said that the prolonged power outages had negatively impacted KP's industries that, he added, were passing through a difficult phase due to militancy.

He said that the KP's industries were facing 8 to 10 hours loadshedding. “Our total consumption stands at 152 MW, whereas the electricity produced in our province is much more than that,” said Afan.

He said that the federal government's policy was discriminatory. The Karachi Electricity Supply Company, he added, had exempted Karachi's industrial units from loadshedding.

He said that the government should take steps for revival of sick industrial units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where, according to him, 595 manufacturing units were closed down due to various reasons. He sought the federal government's help in SCCI's efforts to protect the industrial assets of the province.

Taking exception to SRO No.821 issued by the Federal Board of Revenue on Sept 6, 2011, Mr Afan demanded that it should immediately be withdrawn to put an end to unrest among the members of the business community. He said the FBR had transferred its responsibility of expanding the tax net to the private sector.

He asked the provincial government to establish its own gas distribution company. “After the passage of the 18th Amendment, the distribution of gas was a provincial subject.”

He said that the KP government should take measures in advance to help the industrial units avoid the looming has loadshedding in the coming winter season.