Chawla terms Daylight Saving Time 'jinx'

The Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been described as a "jinx" by Sultan Ahmed Chawla, President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). Talking to Business Recorder, he said it has proved a failure in the past and totally unsuited for Pakistan. Western countries adopt DST in summer to compensate for the short winter days.
The plea that it results in saving power is totally unfounded as it has never been used to save power anywhere in the world, he said. Chawla was unhappy and concerned on the reports that the Government of Pakistan is once again considering to impose DST by advancing clocks by one hour from April 15.
Chief of the apex trade body said it is the considered opinion of business community that DST neither provides any benefit nor results in reducing the agony and pain of the people. When it was thrust first in 2002, it proved a failure as was also admitted by the then Information Minister. Again the exercise last year did not yield the desired results and proved a "bad gamble", an exercise in futility indeed. It showed that not even a single megawatt of electricity was saved, on the contrary load shedding increased by hundred percent, he said.
It unsettled the routine civic and economic activities and had added further to the miseries of the masses. Millions of college and school going students who use public transport suffered immense difficulties. Prayer and Ramzan timings were thrown into total disarray and confusion. For the 80 percent illiterate population, advancing the clocks by an hour was a nightmare which had compounded their problems to unmanageable limits.
President FPCCI said that bureaucracy which apparently behind promoting this totally useless and futile measure is the only and biggest beneficiary of time change as with DST they are able to secure the half working day for themselves. He suggested that the democratically elected government should refrain from adopting unpopular, unproductive and non-beneficial measures like DST.
Chawla said that FPCCI is a nationally committed and patriotic body of businessmen of Pakistan and are mindful of the monumental internal and external challenges being faced by Pakistan. Therefore, it will always support the democratically elected government in its gigantic efforts to rid the country of the menace of terrorism so that political and economic stability is established soonest to enable the country march in the 21st century as a modern, progressive and peaceful nation with pride and dignity.