Marble-manufacturing and processing sector is facing around 45 percent decline in production since July-August 2007 due to power shortage for long hours, All Pakistan Marble Mining Processing Industry and Exporters Association (APMMPIEA) said.

 

"The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has failed to restructure its power supply system to the marble industry with a cost of Rs 35 million,"APMMPIEA said.

 

The industrial activities in the hub of the sector, Metroville on main Manghopir Road industrial estate is at a standstill and around 100 large and medium sized marble processing and manufacturing units were on the verge of closure.

 

Chairman, APMMPIEA, Sanaullah Khan said around 45 percent of the processing units have been closed down because around an average eight hours daily power supply eruption stopped the 80 percent of the manufacturing and processing activities in the biggest marble estate in the country. Mr Khan said hundreds of working force was also on the verge of layoff due to a large decline of production activity in almost 150 medium and large units in the area. He said export oriented marble industry was suffering badly because of the inability of KESC to streamline the power supply to the sector, due to which industry may be lacking behind to meet its export orders.

 

"We have export orders worth millions of rupees but it is difficult to complete these orders in time, thus we suffer financial losses,"he added. He said the supply of Verona stone and raw material for processing units from Balochistan has been drastically declined due to closure of units, as around 150,000 tonnes of Verona is supplied every month. He said the industry's growth rate over the last three years has averaged 30 percent, primarily on domestic and partly on account of reconstruction activities of Afghanistan.