Construction of water reservoirs: PIAF demands allocation of funds in coming budget

Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) has urged the government to focus on promotion of economic activities in the country, as an acute shortage of gas, electricity, political instability and high cost of doing business were coming in the way of achieving economic targets.
The PIAF Chairman Sohail Lashari in a statement on Monday said that it was very unfortunate that no new dam was built in the country since 1973 while the entire country was in grip of load-shedding for the last many years. He said that during this period neighbouring India got 100 new dams and its GDP growth is an eye-opener for all.
He said that only because of electricity shortage, investment both local and foreign has nose-dived rather a number of existing industrial units have shifted their operations to the other countries.
He said that country's reliance on costly thermal power has jacked up the cost of doing business in the country thus making Pakistani merchandise less attractive in the global marketplace. He said that enhanced economic activities would help government get rid of bank borrowings and maximum funds would be available to business community. He said that same was the case with gas and petroleum sectors where no considerable work was done since 1980 and the situation has turned so bad that there is no gas available to the entire industrial sector.
Lashari while showing concern over the Indian Supreme Court order to implement an ambitious project to link major rivers, said that Indian aggression and water bomb has already posed serious threats for the country while Indian Supreme Court connivance with the Indian government directed to link 30 rivers that would make the Pakistan barren while Pakistani government was playing the role of silent spectator. He said that present regime had also shelved the project with a one stroke of pen.