Over 250 traders organisations started mass protests campaign against the ongoing 12 to 14 hours loadshedding here as the deadline given to the government for resolving the issue ended Tuesday, Kashif Shabbir President Rawalpindi Chamber and Industries (RCCI) said.
Addressing a press conference here he criticised the government for failing to devise a strategy to cope with the power crisis. In the next phase shutter down strike could be announced, he added. Traders do not want to take law into their hands. On May 4 all traders of Rawalpindi would organise a joint rally against the menace of loadshedding, he said.
He said due to persistent loadshedding 90 percent industry is on the verge of collapse. He claimed that the country has 19000MW installed power generation capacity, but why Wapda's failing to meet 15000MW demand. Terming the Value Added Tax (VAT) as dearness bomb, he said 15 percent imposition of tax on everything would lead to further price hike upto 30 percent.
He said the total deficit of country has reached Rs 107 billion, exports losses are touching Rs 70 billion and GDP losses are Rs 219 billion and unemployment (due to power crisis) has reached up to 400,000. Unannounced loadshedding has destroyed their business and the situation is still aggravating due to apathy of Pepco, he said. Traders were carrying banners inscribed with slogans: "load shedding unacceptable", "massacre of industry unacceptable", and " economic murder of traders unacceptable".
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