According to a Customs Today report, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Ijaz A. Mumtaz says that the country has already lost a big chunk of its exports orders in the international market and there is a fear of massive lay-offs and closures of industrial units if unscheduled load shedding has not been stopped immediately in Lahore Township Industrial Area.
Mumtaz also warned that authorities of Lahore Electric Supply Company would not be able to control the situation triggered by the demonstrations and strike calls by the angry industrial workers against their possible retrenchments as a result of the power outages. Mumtaz also says that how the government will be able to run its affairs if it would not collect revenues in term of taxes and duties from the industrial concerns. He also says that the government would not be able to establish its writ and run its day-to-day affairs if the industrial activities are slowed down. Energy issue is one of the main causesof economic crises in the country. The previous governments of dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistan People’s Party had failed to pay attention to the energy crisis. The demand for electricity increases day by day, but failure to perceive the pressing situation, two governments completed their tenures and the third government has also consumed half of its time. People are only listening to tall claims and promises, but factual position is that all the projectslaunched by the present government have delayed. This is a serious matter and the government should pay attention to it.
In the current situation, all the European and African countries are shifting toward solar energy from hydroelectric power. It is time the government should launch solar cell production units which convert heat into electricity and fulfill the growing demand of electricity not only in Pakistan, but also other countries of the world. The LCCI president correctly warns that the government should understand that unemployment, price-hikes, industrial closures always give birth to lawlessness and anarchy. The foreign buyers always insist on maintaining deadline of their export orders, which have to be honoured at any rate. Otherwise, it will not only damage the goodwill of the businessman, but also the country. As a matter of fact, cheap and uninterrupted electricity supply is the only way to achieve economic targets set for the year 2015 but the LESCO is not sharing its future plans in this regard nor it is paying any heed to the difficulties being faced by the trade and industry.
