Business Recorder reported that load shedding of electricity continues in Pakistan industrial city and adjoining towns despite public holiday on last Monday, while small traders and civil society members stated that the suspension of electricity for such a long time has ruined their business and now it was impossible to live and feed the family.
Mian Javed Iqbal CEO of Sitara Energy Limited & former president, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that Load shedding of electricity is yielding negative impact over the industrial production on one side, while employment generation on the other side.
He said that country is still facing energy crisis, while Government is making all out efforts to come out of it as soon as possible. Private sector alone cannot overcome the critical situation prevailing at this moment and resolve the issue.
He added that no doubt that the existing crisis is because of short fall in supply as against its real demand. It is however; felt that the same is aggravating day by day due to mismanagement of the concerned authorities and lack of passing of information by them to industrialists.
Mr Javed Iqbal demanded that the Faisalabad Steam Power Generation Station, which is under utilized at present, should be reactivated to bring it up to its optimum capacity. The power generation station is presently producing only 26% electricity of its total capacity. The steam power generation station has multi fuel system and is capable of producing 150 to 200 MW of electricity. Now that the prices of petroleum products have gone considerably down, the concerned authorities may be directed to provide diesel oil to the power generation station on priority basis. It shall be very helpful in reducing the negative effects of load shedding in the manufacturing.
He said that the current energy crisis is only due to the mismanagement of circular debt and non supply of furnace oil to IPPs, if Government put emphasis to sort out this problem we are of the firm opinion that the current problem of load shedding can be resolved within 15 days.
(Sourced from Business Recorder)
