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Load shedding : Industrialists refuse to pay PESCO fixed charges

PESHAWAR: Resenting the “unscheduled” and “long-hour” power outages, NWFP-based industrialists have said they would not pay fixed charges in their monthly utility bills to the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) this month.

“The monthly electricity bills shall be paid on the basis of old tariffs while owners of all small industries will not pay fixed charges which are due to be paid on the 27th of the current month,” Industrialists Association Hayatabad president Nauman Wazir said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference, Nauman Wazir said industrialists in NWFP were paying the highest electricity rates, braving the maximum electricity load-shedding and facing the worsening security situation.

“Still we are determined to continue our businesses out of sheer patriotism for the province and the country,” he said while relating the losses being inflicted by the unscheduled power outages at the industrialists.

Criticising the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for exempting the electric supply companies in Islamabad (IESCO), Gujranwala (GESCO) and Lahore (LESCO) from load-shedding, he said the National Power Control Centre (NPCC)’s attitude towards the NWFP was step-motherly.

He said the frequent power outages had brought the industry at the verge of closure which would render 38,000 workers jobless. He said unscheduled load-shedding was causing severe loss to the industrial process and the government must take notice of that.

Nauman Wazir suggested that WAPDA should install Time of the Day (ToD) check metres at all industries by setting different rates for per unit electricity at different timings.

In this way, he said, WAPDA would be able to reduce the load as well as save electricity because both the domestic and commercial consumers would try to use electricity at the time when rates are lower.

Earlier, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Mohammad Asif told reporters that neither the provincial nor the central government contacted them to discuss the worsening security situation, which is alarming for the business community.

He said the industrial community as well as the people of NWFP were disappointed with the previous six-month performance of the government, which has no word of solace for the industrialists or the people.

He said instead of issuing a few words of solace for the masses, the government warned them of more price hike, more electricity and gas load-shedding with every increase in prices of diesel, petrol, power or flour and other daily commodities. staff report

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