The president of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), Mian Zahid Hussain, has emphasised that the government should take steps to ensure power generation at full capacity and address the issue of power producers, otherwise the masses will have to brave additional load-shedding in the sizzling summer. He said the government has increased the duration of load-shedding across the country, which has added to the miseries of the masses.
The authorities have repeatedly claimed that load-shedding would be wiped out, but the situation is contrary to the slogans, he added. Mian Zahid Hussain said that the Ministry of Water and Power has said that load- shedding in the urban areas have been increased by one hour while in the rural areas it has been increased by two hours. But independent experts have questioned the claim, he added.
He said that demand for electricity is 14,800 megawatt, excluding Karachi, but the supply stands at 9,700 megawatt, while electricity theft and losses continue to take a toll on supply. The total demand in the country is said to be 17,500 megawatt, while the shortfall is around 5,000 megawatts, excluding Karachi, the backbone of Pakistan's economy, he added.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that load-shedding will increase with the passage of time as the tussle between the power producers and the government has intensified on account of unpaid dues. He said that the power producers are demanding payment of dues while the government is reluctant to pay few trillion rupees to IPPs as it will widen the deficit which is aggravating the situation. The blame game should end immediately so that the private powerhouses can operate with full capacity to reduce the sufferings of the masses, he demanded.
Comments
Comments are closed.