In wake of the government’s decision to close all markets across the country at 8pm under the energy conservation project from July 1, traders have outrightly refused to shut down businesses to save electricity.
In a joint statement, All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran and Traders Action Committee president Ajmal Baloch, ICCI Traders Committee Secretary and Convener Khalid Chaudhry, Bhara Kahu Central Traders Union president Raja Zahid Dhaniyal, G8 Markaz president Raja Khurram Niaz, I8 Markaz president Raja Fayyaz Gul and Steel Market president Irfan Chaudhry, said: “The government has previously also tried to close the shops at 8pm but all its efforts met with failure.”
“Traders buy the most expensive electricity from 7pm till late at night,” they said, adding the power supply companies would lose about Rs600b by the closure of shops in peak hours.
“Stopping the wheel of the economy in the name of saving electricity will actually cause loss to the government instead of benefit,” they added. “Therefore, the businessmen will not close the business in the name of saving electricity.”
Baloch said the government should issue orders to stop air conditioning at the official level. “The supply of free electricity should be stopped forthwith and strict measures should be taken to control electricity theft,” he suggested.
“Street lights as well as the lights at metro stations and parks, which are switched on all night, should be switched off but electricity should be provided to traders at all costs as they are the most expensive buyers of electricity,” he demanded.
Baloch also said that traders can continue their business from their sources. “The government should reduce its expenditure immediately,” he said and added that the provision of free electricity and power theft cost the general public and the business community about Rs800 billion annually.
“The prime minister had announced before the previous budget to install solar systems on all government buildings, but it has not yet been implemented,” he lamented.
“The government should not force the businessmen to protest and find a solution to the problem through understanding,” he warned.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2023.
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