PESHAWAR: The owners of small industrial units and factories have demanded of the federal government to ensure smooth supply of power and gas to their industries to avoid closure of their businesses and savejobs of thousands of workers.

Owners of Small Industrial Estates Kohat Road representative Wahid Arif Awan said here on Wednesday that the low gas pressures and power outages had badly affected business at theirindustrialestates.

`We have repeatedly requested the relevant officials to resolve our issues but federal government seems least interested to ensure smooth power and gas supply to the industrial units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,` he told a meeting at Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Flanked by other industrialists, he said that small manufacturers were the worst affected as they had very limited resources but provided employment to thousands of people. He said that unemployment would increase in the province if those industrial units were shut down.

Mr Awan said that federal and provincial governments should extend support to the investors so that they could play an effective role in strengthening the national economy.

He demanded uninterrupted power supply to industrial units and resolution of the issue of low gas pressure. He said that government officials raiding the industrial units should avoid harassing and arresting the owners and employees of factories on pretext of collecting taxes.

Mr Awan asked the government to taking effective steps to improve water supply, sewerage and sanitation system and enhance the duration of entry timings of the vehicles loaded with raw material to the industrial estates.

The industrialists in the meeting with SCCI of fice-bearers stressed the need for holding meetings with top officials of the provincial and federal governments to seek solution to theirissues.