Industrial estate Peshawar: Sarhad chamber slams power loadshedding

The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed grave concern over electricity loadshedding in industrial estates, carrying out by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company, particularly in Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road Peshawar.

The issue was raised during a meeting with SCCI President Engineer Maqsood Anwar by a delegation of small industrialists led by the president of Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road Peshawar, Arif Waheed Awan here at the chamber house on Monday.

SCCI chief said that all government, private institutions, commercial centres and industries are mostly shut down due to ongoing lockdown to contain spread of the novel Covid-19 (coronavirus), due to which the electricity consumption has been reduced, despite that the Pesco is being carried out power outages in industrial estates, which is incomprehensible, he added. Maqsood Anwar went on say that a limited industries are kept operational by authorities concerned in wake of lockdown in the province. But, he said it was making difficult to run factories in Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road Peshawar because of the ongoing electricity loadshedding.

The chamber president said the power outages from 4 to 6 hours on industrial and commercial consumers are worrisome and unacceptable to them. He furthermore maintained the industrial estates had been exempted from electricity loadshedding by Pesco. He asked the Pesco to explain, why it is being carried out power outages in industrial estates despite cut down of electricity consumption due to closure of business hubs, private, government departments and most of industries in the province.

He demanded of the Federal Minister for Water and Power, Umar Ayub and Chief Executive, Pesco Engr Dr Amjad Khan to issue directives to ensure smooth and uninterrupted electricity supply to all industrial estates, especially Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road Peshawar where he said the small factories are prime source for large number employees and poor workers. He expressed fear that if the industries were completely shut down so it will trigger unemployment in the province.