The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has expressed deep concern over likely increase of massive Rs.6.10 per unit in March electricity bill.
In a statement, LCCI Acting President Mian Rehman Aziz Chan and Vice President Haris Ateeq said that the government is planning to increase the power tariff that will be a big blow to the industrial sector in general and export-oriented industry in particular.
“In Pakistan bulk of electricity is produced through oil-run power plants that has kept the energy rates volatile to the extent that it is fast crushing the economic activities”, the LCCI office-bearers said.
They said that hike in power tariff is a futile exercise and will not be doing any service to the government unless and until it makes a plan to remove inefficiencies in the power sector.
The LCCI office-bearers said that the government should control rupee devaluation, line losses and electricity theft instead making massive hike in electricity price.
They feared that the government’s plan to increase the power tariff will increase the incidents of electricity theft that is already one of the biggest challenges being faced by the power sector.
How the industry will remain competitive at such a high tariff of electricity which is one of the basic industrial raw materials”, they questioned and said that Pakistani merchandise are facing challenges to keep their existence in the international market while further increase in the power tariff will make the things more difficult.
Mian Rehman Aziz Chan and Haris Ateeq urged the government to shun the plan of power tariff hike and encourage the alternate energy resources in the larger interest of the industrial sector and the economy.