The Pakistan Federation of Chambers and Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has strongly opposed the massive raise in electricity tariff by Rs 5.82 per unit and termed it an unjustified act by the caretaker government.
In a statement issued on Saturday, FPCCI President Zubair Ahmed Malik said that the caretaker government is not empowered to make such decisions and it should leave all major issues to the incoming elected government to resolve. “At this particular moment when elections have already held and newly elected house is almost going to meet in a few days and the formation of new government is on the corner, NEPRA has announced Rs 5.82 per unit increase in electricity tariff which is unjustified and uncalled for,” Malik said, adding that trade and industry is already suffering badly due to frequent increases in utility prices particularly electricity by the outgoing regime while power outages have made lives of the people miserable. He said that during the last five years no effort had been made at any level whether it was federal or provincial governments except lip service. While rejecting any type of raise in tariffs of utilities by the caretakers, Malik said that even the elected government should refrain from raising gas and power tariffs and instead pay its full attention to the woes of trade and industry suffering due to massive load-shedding of electricity and gas. He said that PML-N government should seriously pay attention to find out resources of cheap electricity generation and announce execution of shelved projects of hydel power projects in order to overcome severe energy crisis.
