LCCI hails decision on adding more power to national grid

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday fully endorsed, backed and welcomed CCI’s decision that power supply to the national grid be increased to the extent of 350 MW.

LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar, in a statement said the trade and industry had already been facing hardships due to power crisis and consequences of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) petition against the CCI decision would devastate national growth that had already plunged to alarmingly low level.

“If the decision of CCI is not implemented it would jeopardize the business community efforts aimed at rejuvenating economic activities in the country,” he said.

He said the mandate given to CCI under the Constitution was not restricted to formulation and regulation of policies only but it was a forum that had absolute powers and only joint Parliament session could undo Council Common Interest decisions therefore the government was left with no other option but to implement decisions.

The LCCI President said the KESC was being supplied 600 MW of power through the national grid, while according to the agreement KESC had to self-generate 300 MW of power which was not being implemented. The KESC needed to use its idle capacity to reduce their 650 megawatts import from national grid by 300 MW, he added.

Farooq Iftikhar said the CCI decision would not only help reduce loadshedding in the other federating units but it would also add to the national growth as a large number of industrial units particularly in Punjab had already stopped their operations.

He said the gas and electricity shortages were not only hitting hard the productions at domestic level but also damaging to the investment in the country at the moment when the neighbouring countries were progressing leaps and bounds.