The prolonged and persistent load shedding has paralysed the small businesses in the city. The planned and unplanned load shedding has severely impacted small businesses in the city, leaving the small traders and businessmen to sustain huge losses and feel marginalised.
Load shedding mainly carried out mainly during the working hours of small businesses, which has affected the businesses. Owners of small businesses said that they could not afford to make alternative arrangements for electricity supply, as it adds to the cost.
They alleged that Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) was indulged in their economic murder by carrying out long hour scheduled and unscheduled load shedding. Small businesses' owners said that they were already facing serious problems including high cost of manufacturing, declining sales, failure to pay rent of shops, schools fee of children, payment of electricity bills due to declining income.
They said that the country has the sixth largest coal reserves in the world but uses only about 5 per cent for electricity. They said when load shedding was carried out as per schedule, the small manufactures managed to plan accordingly. But when there is unscheduled load shedding, which is rampant, they were left with no means to carry out production.