Traders Wednesday rejected the Jamaat-e-Islami's call for strike in the city on April 27 against the prolonged power cuts, saying the strike is unjustified for now. With already suffering a sales decline of Rs 10 billion because of prolonged and unscheduled electricity loadshedding over the past week, traders cannot afford to go for a shutdown to face another Rs 3.5 billion loss in a single day. However, All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industries (Karachi Chapter) expressed full support to JI's call for Friday.
The JI has given a strike call against K-Electric for hours-long power cuts that have brought the city to nearly a state of breakdown in terms of industrial and trade activities. The unscheduled brownouts are also affecting social and academic works.
"About 50 percent electricity supply has been restored in the city that makes the strike unjust as the businessmen cannot afford another day without trade activity," All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Chairman Muhammad Atiq Mir told Business Recorder.
However, he pointed out that a protest call is justified against the monopolization of power sector in Karachi with costly electricity supply to consumers. He also criticised the federal government for leaving the citizens at the mercy of K-Electric. "No authority virtually exists to see the K-Electric misdeeds," he added.
He feared that the dispute between the gas utility and K-Electric will rise again as the agreement between both organizations is too 'fragile' and 'faulty. "There is a big issue of billions of rupees outstanding which stands unsolved despite the prime minister's intervention," he said, adding that the dispute left traders to face Rs 10 billion losses.
"Who will compensate for Rs 10 billion loss to traders who continue to suffer decline in sales during prolonged electricity cuts," he asked the government to compensate businessmen community and ensure that such situation never occurs again.
He said "whether the K-Electric, SSGC or the federal government should be held responsible for the power crisis." Atiq Mir also slammed the K-Electric for its extremely serious and dangerous policy of shutting down power generating plants just to pressurize the federal government to accept its demands. "This threatening gesture is a serious issue.
The city's economic growth is getting retarded with the monopolistic attitude of the power utility," the trade leader said. He said the K-Electric is set to accumulate its revenue 'by hook or by crook. He urged the government to evolve exclusive and a serious policy to protect power consumers in Karachi.
He said that there will be "no strike on Friday." Meanwhile, All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industries (Karachi Chapter) held an emergency meeting at Karachi Press Club to support the JI's strike call. President of APOSTCI told Business Recorder that traders' meeting extended complete support to the strike call.
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