Markets shut early to save power

The district administration has started implementing the provincial government’s decision to close all markets, shopping malls and business centres at 9:00pm except on Saturdays in a bid to conserve energy following an increase in the prices of petroleum products.

A notification issued on Monday states that all retail and wholesale shops, bakeries, general stores, warehouses, shopping malls and private offices will close their commercial operations at 9:00pm.

As per the notification, banquet and marriage halls will close at 10:00pm, while hotels, takeaway services, tandoors, clubs, theatres, cinemas, cafes, circus and recreation spots will close at 11:30pm.

The restrictions will remain in force on all weekdays except Saturdays.

The notification highlights that medical stores, pharmacies, hospitals, laboratories, milk shops, petrol pumps, motorway service areas and tire repair shops are exempted from the time restriction.

The district administration has also constituted special teams, comprising officials of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) and other agencies, to close all commercial activities in the city at the notified time. The teams remained active in the field on Monday night for strict implementation of the government’s decision.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner Omer Sher Chatha appealed to citizens to cooperate with the district administration and close their businesses at the notified time to avoid legal action.

Commenting on the move, All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran general secretary Abdul Razaq Babbar said wholesalers have no reservation about the time restriction, but retail markets have strong concerns as the Eid season is just around the corner. He highlighted that Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha are the two major shopping festivals in the country, but the government is asking shopkeepers and traders to close down their businesses early in the peak season.

He wondered that if hotels and restaurants can be allowed to remain in business till 11:30pm, why not retail shops. Wholesale businesses across the country close by 7:00pm, so the decision would not impact them but will badly hurt the retail trade.

He demanded that the authorities allow retail businesses to remain in operation till 11:00pm.

He said the governments had made such experiments in the past also but they had proved a futile exercise because the power load increased after the closure of markets instead of dropping. All the shopkeepers turn on their air conditioners after reaching home, while only 10 per cent of the shops have air conditioners even in big cities and after consecutive increases in electricity tariffs, they use electricity at their business places with extreme caution.

Pakistan is facing an acute energy shortage as the demand for electricity has swelled owing to summer heat.

Prolonged scheduled and unscheduled electricity load-shedding is being witnessed in urban and rural areas alike.

Energy experts indicate that other reasons for the current energy crisis include a sharp increase in fuel prices in international markets following the Russia-Ukraine war, depreciation of the rupee and limited availability of foreign exchange reserves.

The federal government on Saturday issued instructions to the Punjab government for the implementation of restricted business hours in a bid to save fuel and energy and limit imports of fuel and other non-essential and luxury items to build rapidly depleting foreign exchange reserves.

However, information technology (IT) companies, software houses and call centres have also been exempted from the restriction.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2022.