‘Govt has turned focus to businessperson’s issues’

Premier says everything will be done to facilitate businesses.

LAHORE:

Government of Pakistan has reset its priorities by shifter greater focus on improving the law and order situation, ensuring equitable electricity load-shedding and promoting the private sector, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday.

The premier said that the present government is ready to implement all doable energy projects without any let or hindrance because it believes in the growth of the private sector. The government and the private sector are on the same page on ridding the country of economic ills being faced today, he said.

Ashraf said that the government is working on a number of coal and solar power projects that are not as inexpensive as is being portrayed. However, with the passage of time, they will be in easy access of consumers, he reassured.

He said that the government gave an immediate response to the Thar Coal Gasification Projects, which is currently well underway. However, he also made it clear that the projects entails additional allied projects including power generation stations and transmission lines for their connectivity with the national grid.

Ashraf said that if the federating units develop a consensus on the Kalabagh Dam today, the government would initiate construction of the dam.

The Prime Minister said that the government is also focusing on the hydel component of electricity, and has expedited work on all ongoing hydel projects as well as those on the drawing board.

With regards to trade with India, the Prime Minister said that government was committed to facilitate the business community; adding, “We are watching the entire development on the subject and will not compromise on the interests of the Pakistani business community.”

Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar said that the biggest problem faced by the business community, and generally the whole of Pakistan, is a severe shortage of energy.

The intensity of this crisis is getting worse by the day, he complained. He said that we must adopt measures to address this issue urgently as it is crippling the national economy.

The LCCI president urged the government to allocate Rs200 billion per year or 10% of the total budget at the very least for hydel energy projects in order to produce cheap energy. He said that the Kalabagh dam is the most viable project to address the energy issue, but has unfortunately fallen prey to politics.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2012.