Increase in electricity price anti-industry step

LAHORE - Proposed four per cent increase in electricity prices from June this year to get World Bank loan would be an anti-industry step and would add to economic woes so the government should avoid any such decision.
This was stated by the Chairman, Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Vice Chairmen Iqbal Baig Chugtai and Khawaja Shahzeb Akram in a joint statement issued here on Monday. It would not give any good name to those who are sitting at the helm of affairs, the PIAF office-bearers said.
The PIAF office-bearers said that the whole industry was already suffering because of high cost of doing business and any further hike in the prices of electricity would add fuel to fire. Another hike in power rates means more troubles for the common man and the industry.
They said that it was beyond the understanding of the businessmen that despite cut in oil prices in the international market, why the government was reluctant to pass on the benefit to the people while the electricity shortage was going up with every passing day.
The PIAF leaders said that only due to acute shortage of electricity not only the manufacturing sector was in deep troubles but the services sector was also facing multiple problems.
While citing the example of China, the PIAF leaders said that unfortunately we did not learn any lesson from our brotherly country that at the moment was producing cheap electricity by building the Worlds largest Dam but we have failed to build even a smaller water reservoir during the last many years.
They said that for this criminal negligence, the next generations would never forgive us therefore it is right time for the government to stop accepting tough conditionalities of Donor Agencies that go against the will of the people of this country.
Such decisions, they said, would not only create unrest among the masses but would also hit the entire industrial sector even harder.
The PIAF leaders also urged the government to pay some attention towards cutting the line losses besides evolving ways and means to produce cheaper electricity from alternate sources including coal which is available in Pakistan in abundance.