The News reported that Mr Yakoob H Karim president of Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pakistan has expressed concern over the 6% increase in power tariff which may result in the collapse of the industrial sector because of further increase in production cost.

In a statement, he urged the government to direct power distribution companies to improve their distribution system to curtail huge line losses as well as power theft instead of increasing the tariff.

Mr Karim said that “Electricity tariff is already unaffordable for the common man and a further increase will badly affect the prices of consumable items and will create multiple problems for the people in general and for the industries in particular.”

He said that it would also affect export oriented industries which would not be able to compete in the international markets. This state of affairs will further create unemployment due to possible closure of many industrial units and export houses.

He urged the government to immediately withdraw the increase in power tariff to save the industrial sector from disaster.

(Sourced from Thenews.com)