The abrupt decision of the provincial government to implement with immediate effect instead of June 15, its earlier order for closure of shops at dusk, to meet the electricity crisis, is only apt to add more to the confusion already created in the metropolis.
This, among other things, has reference to a pretty long list of exemption that goes with the new order. From a casual perusal of the order, it will be noted that the business closure decision will not apply to quite a large number of commercial and non-commercial concerns, including public sector consumers too.
The original decision, arrived at a meeting chaired by the Sindh Governor, stipulated closure of all shopping and commercial centres, non-essential outlets and establishments by dusk from June 15 until improvement in power supply situation.
Prompted by the urge to relieve the citizens of the inconvenience from too frequent and too long disruptions in power supply, quite understandable was the resort to conservation of energy, keeping in view the overall problems the new KESC management was faced with. Nevertheless, the genuine need for exemption in deserving cases must have been recognised.
It will be noted that under the notification, now issued, the list of establishments, concerns, and individuals exempted from the early closure covers offices of the federal and provincial governments or their sub-ordinate agencies, along with Pakistan Railway Board, including Railway stations; any local authority, a trust, a corporation, or any other public statutory body not being run for profit/gain shops or stalls at any public exhibition or show; shops or stalls at any public fair or bazaar held for religious or charitable purposes; clubs, hostels, and messes not maintained for profit/gain; establishments for the treatment or care of the sick, infirm, destitute or mentally unfit persons; launch stations, docks, wharves and airports, and trains, steamers or aircraft; any person employed exclusively in connection with collection, dispatch, delivery and conveyance of shipping documents, watchmen, caretaker or conservancy staff, at any public office.
More to this, it will also not apply to shops dealing solely in any vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products; bread, pastries, sweetmeat and flowers, medicines, surgical appliances, bandages or any other medical requisition articles required for funerals, burials or ceremonies; tobacco, cigars, cigarette, biri, pan, liquid, newspapers or periodicals, automobile service stations and petrol pumps (for retail sale of petrol), cinemas, theatres, and other places of public entertainment.
Understandable, of course, are most of the exemptions as, evidently, intended to avoid inconvenience to general public, with special reference to food and healthcare. However, extending it to cinemas and all places of entertainment can hardly be justified.
For one thing, they could confine their activities to day-time for instance, through arrangements like matinee shows. Moreover, according to the KESC spokesman, this whole exercise would not help end load-shedding entirely. For as he is reported to have pointed out the quantum of electricity conserved through the early closure of business stands at around 75 megawatts, against the actual shortfall during the peak hours as high as 200 megawatts.
The huge shortfall could be managed only when the KESC consumers, over two million in number, kept off, at least, one bulb of 100 watts in regular use and followed the practice religiously until the crisis ends.
Be that as it may, under the provincial government's scheme of things, it will appear to have been an error not to exempt the shops and other business places heavily relying on generators, not only for illumination but air-conditioning too, on ever widening scale. Needless to point out, this omission needs to be promptly rectified.