ICCI meeting: Industrialists rue surge in load-shedding

Fear workers will lose jobs due to redundancy.

ISLAMABAD: Local industrialists have strongly protested against the resumption of electricity load-shedding by the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) which has almost “crippled” industrial activities and called upon the government to take corrective measures before further damage is caused.

In a meeting at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), its president Muzzamil Hussain Sabri, Founder Group Chairman Abdul Rauf Alam and ICCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Shakeel Munir asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to keep his promise that load-shedding would end for industries.

They said that Iesco has resumed electricity loadshedding in Islamabad during prime working hours – from 10am to 2pm – which massively disrupts production schedules.

They added that local industrial units, including marble, steel and pharmaceutical sectors’ production targets have been severely dented. They urged Iesco to reconsider this move and take urgent measure to minimise load-shedding.

Abdul Rauf Alam said thousands of workers were employed in the local industry and a surge in load-shedding has rendered them idle for long hours. He was afraid that if power shutdown issue was not tackled on urgent basis, hundreds of works could lose jobs, eventually increasing unemployment and social instability.

The industrialists stressed that Iesco should consider the economic interest of the country and take local industry on board to finalise a consensus on the load-shedding schedule, in order to ensure minimum losses to industrial activities. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2015.

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