Increase in gas, power prices flayed

Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Front (PIAF) and leaders of business community have strongly criticised the proposed 11 to 14 percent increase in gas and 31 percent increase in hydel electricity prices and urged Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to reject Ogra and Nepra's anti-industry and anti-people summaries in the larger interest of the country.
PIAF Chairman, Sohail Lashari, Chairman Lahore Township Industries Association, Haroon Shafiq Chaudhry and Chairman Auto Parts Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Tahir Javed Malik, in a statement on Friday said that massive increase in one-go in the electricity tariff and gas prices is not only anti-industry but also anti-masses as would be the last nail in the coffin of the economy. Unprecedented increase in the electricity and gas prices would also hit the government reputation hard therefore Prime Minister should reject the summaries.
They said that Lahore High Court has stopped the recent hike in the electricity prices in the name of fuel adjustment and now Nepra has planned to snatch huge money by making massive increase of 31 percent in the prices of electricity being generated through hydel resources.
They said that brutal implementation of brutal proposals would accelerate the capital flying that would break the backbone of the economy. They further said that huge capital worth Rs 180 billion has already been shifted to only Malaysia during the last eight years.
They asserted that the recent hike in power tariff is bound to further jack-up the manufacturing cost of Pakistani merchandise and resultantly the country would become a trading hub. They said that instead of increasing power tariff, government should concentrate on cheaper means of power generation including coal-based power generation houses and through furnace oil.
PIAF office-bearers also said that Kalabagh Dam is the most excellent solution of the power crisis but present regime shelved the project with a one stroke of pen. They said that Pakistan could generate thousands megawatt electricity through coal and other alternate resources. Only Sindh has 185 billion tons reserves of coal but government is spending $13 billion annually on the import of oil and generating electricity through costly furnace oil operated power plants.
They said that it could be eye-opener for the people sitting on the helm of affairs that Bangladesh is generating sufficient solar electricity and providing to more than one million houses while situation in Pakistan is quite vice versa. They demanded the government to shelve the Nepra & Ogra proposals with a one stroke of pen in the larger interest of the trade and industry and show its commitment with the Pakistani nation.