The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry while expressing deep concern over awful prolonged load shedding, has demanded of the government to withdraw immediately the exemption of loadshedding being enjoyed by VIP grid stations other than hospitals and sensitive installations.
“The govt. would not be able to control loadshedding unless and until the exemption given to the VIP entities is withdrawn. We are not talking of hospitals and sensitive installations.” In a statement issued here, the LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that how the people sitting on the helm of affairs and bureaucracy could feel gravity of the situation when they are enjoying uninterrupted electricity supply through these VIP grid stations.
“They will work on war footing to enhance the power generation when they will face 14 to 18 hours loadshedding in a day”, he added.
The LCCI President said that government has not shown any seriousness in solving the unprecedented energy crisis that has forced the fasting people to take to the streets to draw the attention of the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister and the Ministers towards this pathetic situation. “It should be an eye-opener for the government that not only the opposition, but allies are also registering their protest against loadshedding in National Assembly and Senate”, Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said.
He said that the private sector was engine of the growth and in the developed countries it is facilitated to the maximum but in Pakistan circumstances is quite different.
Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that LCCI has repeatedly warned the government of massive lay-offs and industrial closures if it fails to immediately stop power outages but the government has miserably failed to control the situation.
The LCCI President said that government would not be able to control the situation triggered by the demonstrations and strikes called by the angry industrial workers against their retrenchments as a result of these power outages. “How the government would establish its writ and from where it would collect revenues to run its day-to-day affairs when the industrial wheel is coming to a grinding halt.”
The LCCI President said that the government should understand that economic well being is a must for democracy. Unemployment, price-hikes, industrial closures always gives birth to lawlessness and anarchy.
Therefore, the government should understand the ground realities and reset its priorities regarding provision of electricity to the industry.
Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that the industry needs continuous supply of electricity to keep the units operational and to complete the export orders well within the given timeframe but only because of the shortage of electricity the exports are not up to the mark.
