Faltering economy: ‘Role of DISCOS vital for revival’

Bakhtawari warned that without achieving energy security high economic growth could never be achieved.

ISLAMABAD: President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zafar Bakhtawari while addressing the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) said that the role of power distribution companies is vital for the economy as promotion of trade and industry depends on their good performance. Bakhtawari lauded the initiatives of IESCO for expanding the network of its customer service centers in Rawalpindi/Islamabad and said it should open more such centres in other major commercial hubs of Islamabad. He said that in 2001, Pakistan had 4,000 megawatts (MW) of excess power capacity, but today the energy crisis has emerged as a big threat to the economy. He urged the new government to give the highest priority to this issue in its economic agenda. He warned that without achieving energy security high economic growth could never be achieved. Therefore, if the government was serious in improving the economy, it should work on war footing basis to tackle the energy problem.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2013.

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