Federal Minister for Water and Power, Naveed Qamar has directed the Pepco to put domestic consumers on top priority against the industrial ones so far as power supply is concerned. Reliable sources said there are clear-cut instructions that power supply to the domestic consumers should be top priority, leaving the industrial consumers with abandoned production capacities, particularly in Punjab.
The Federal Minister had intervened earlier, asking the Pepco officials to continue with over 600MW electricity to the KESC despite an understanding to cut it down by half in the Energy conference between the provinces and the federation. Sources said the said Minister had also stopped the SNGPL utilising the SSGC gas to fulfil industry's demand in last winter, added the sources.
It may be noted that the industrial sectors, particularly those running on independent and grouped feeders, are facing six to eight hours a day load shedding despite improvement in power generation with the end of canal de-silting campaign and better gas supplies to thermal units with lowering domestic demand.
It is learnt on good authority that the Pepco authorities were avoiding meeting industrial representatives. And, if so, power supply to industrial units is being hindered on one or the other pretext. Many of the industrial associations are seeking appointment from the Pepco high-ups but they are not responding to their requests. An unprecedented energy crisis has hit the industrial production by over 40 percent, bringing exports down both in quantity and value terms.
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