A temporary respite

AS protests which turned violent at a number of places continued all over the country against the power tariff hike, consumers were provided temporary relief by slashing the bills by 40 percent. Coming as it does amidst frequent power breakdowns, the rise in tariffs turned out to be the proverbial last straw on the camel's back, leading to a spontaneous outburst of resentment all over the country. The government circles first relied on the over-used conspiracy theory to explain away the outpouring of resentment. However, realism finally prevailed, leading to the setting up of a committee headed by the Water and Power Minister which allowed the stakeholders, including NEPRA, PEPCO and representatives of the business community, to present their often sharply differing points of view.