FAISALABAD: IPPs is a ticklish issue which needs to be resolved by evolving consensus among all stakeholders, said President Asif Ali Zardari.
In a meeting with the business community of Pakistan, he proposed the constitution of a committee composed of business leaders which could critically analyze and submit workable recommendations. He assured that his office would fully cooperate with this committee to work out a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
Representing the business community, Dr. Khurram Tariq, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) said that industrial units were being closed due to the unbearable cost of electricity.
“This situation would not only create unemployment but also have a negative impact on the exports,” he said and added that there was no moral ground to charge for the electricity which was never produced by the IPPs.
Govt urged to review agreements with IPPs
Dr. Khurram said that people are forced to commit suicide as they are unable to pay the bloated electricity bills. He said that the President must intervene to drag out people and industry from this quagmire. He said that there was no issue which could not be resolved but strong will is required to settle the issue.
Dr. Khurram said that Faisalabad alone was contributing 60% share toward the total textile exports of Pakistan which has now dipped to 45% and was still losing ground.
He said that the government has set an ambitious target of enhancing exports to $60bn and to achieve this goal, the cost of doing business should be trimmed in addition to ensuring availability of raw material by creating a favorable business ecosystem. He also presented some recommendations to resolve the issue of IPPs and demanded decisions on priority basis by clearly fixing timeline to save the economy from complete annihilation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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