President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) Ahmed Hassan Moughal has demanded that the government should take measures to ensure the implementation of its decision regarding withdrawal of increased gas tariff for ‘Tandoors.’ The President ICCI was addressing a delegation of General Nanbai Association (GNA) Islamabad, led by its President Fazal Karim Abbasi who visited ICCI on Wednesday and held a meeting with him on the issue of non-implementation of government’s decision regarding withdrawal of increased gas tariff for Tandoors. The delegation asked the ICCI President take up this issue with relevant authorities for its early resolution. While urging the government for implementation of its decision regarding withdrawal of increased gas tariff for Tandoors, Ahmad Hassan Moughal lamented that non-implementation was adversely affecting the business of this sector. GNA and ICCI demand implementation of ECC’ s decision to withdraw increase He said that government in September 2018 had increased gas tariff according to which gas sale price for commercial consumers including Tandoors was raised from Rs.700 MMBTU to Rs.980 MMBTU showing an increase of 40 percent in one go. He added that Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet in its meeting held in November 2018 under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Asad Umar, had decided to withdraw the increase in gas prices for Tandoors. The committee allowed them to pay their gas bills on the previously applicable rates so that price of Roti/Naan may not go up. However, he said that the ECC decision was not implemented due to which Tandoors were receiving gas bills @ Rs.980 MBBTU, which was unjustifiable. Ahmed Hassan Moughal said that increased gas tariff for Tandoors was badly affecting their business and if this trend continued, many Tandoors could close down creating more unemployment in the country. He urged that government should issue instructions to SNGPL to send gas bills on old price to Tandoors to save them from further troubles. Senior Vice President ICCI Rafat Farid and Vice President Iftikhar Anwar Sethi said that labor class and common men were purchasing Roti and Naan from Tandoors, but increased gas tariff would enhance price of Roti/Naan increasing difficulties of the common man. They also stressed that government should pay urgent attention to this issue to save businesses and people from further problems. The GNA delegation comprised Senior Vice President Pervaiz, General Secretary Sardar Altaf Hussain, Finance Secretary Muhammad Fiaz, Sardar Saeed Khan, Sardar Mazhar Hussain, Wali ur Rehman Abbasi, Qari Afzaal and Muhammad Zubair. ICCI office bearers- Khalid Chaudhry, Zia Chaudhry and others- were also present at the occasion. Published in Daily Times, January 10th 2019.