The electric supply will remain suspended at commercial feeders between 7 pm to 10 pm, the government sources said
The federal government has decided to suspend power supply to commercial feeders after 7 pm for three hours to lessen electricity shortfall in the country amid strict opposition from traders, local media reported.
According to sources within the Power Division, the electric supply will remain suspended at commercial feeders between 7 pm to 10 pm. They said there would be no load-shedding on commercial feeders throughout the day. “This measure will help the government save 5,000MW,” they claimed.
They said the power supply to agricultural tubewells would also remain suspended from 7 pm to 11 pm to save 3,000MW electricity.
They said similar measures were adopted during the previous PPP tenure, which is the only solution to the current power crisis. “A summary in this regard will be moved in the cabinet for approval,” they said and added that prior approval will also be taken from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week.
The electric supply will remain suspended at commercial feeders between 7 pm to 10 pm, the government sources said
By News DeskJune 17, 2022
People are sitting on a green belt alongside a road in Sector G7 of Islamabad during load-shedding in the federal capital on June 14, 2022. Photo: Online
People are sitting on a green belt alongside a road in Sector G7 of Islamabad during load-shedding in the federal capital on June 14, 2022. Photo: Online
Islamabad: The federal government has decided to suspend power supply to commercial feeders after 7 pm for three hours to lessen electricity shortfall in the country amid strict opposition from traders, local media reported.
According to sources within the Power Division, the electric supply will remain suspended at commercial feeders between 7 pm to 10 pm. They said there would be no load-shedding on commercial feeders throughout the day. “This measure will help the government save 5,000MW,” they claimed.
They said the power supply to agricultural tubewells would also remain suspended from 7 pm to 11 pm to save 3,000MW electricity.
They said similar measures were adopted during the previous PPP tenure, which is the only solution to the current power crisis. “A summary in this regard will be moved in the cabinet for approval,” they said and added that prior approval will also be taken from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week.
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Previously, ” National approval,” adding that prior approval will also be taken from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week. Previously, the National Economic Council (NEC) has decided to close markets across the country at 8:30 pm.
The decision was taken during the NEC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting was attended by chief ministers of Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was represented by its chief secretary Dr. Shehzad Khan.
During the meeting, the provincial chief ministers were apprised of the proposals and decisions taken during the June 7, 2022, meeting of the federal cabinet to deal with the energy crisis in the country.
The chief ministers agreed to the federal government’s proposal to close the markets at 8.30 pm. Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan had asked for two days to implement the decision as they wished to consult the traders’ association in their provinces.
Addressing a press conference with Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif, MNA Asad Mehmood, and PMLN leaders Musadiq Malik, PPP leader and Adviser to the Prime Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that “we must change our habits and unite” while responding to the latest petrol price hike.
He said that the government tried to avoid burdening the people and find a way to cushion them against the blow, but it had no choice except to make tough decisions. He criticized the former government, saying those who signed contracts with the IMF said that the fuel prices would exceed Rs300 and subsidies would have to be abolished. He said they were correct because they knew the details of the contracts.
“No government wants to become unpopular among the people, but what choice do we have? Whether to become Sri Lanka or to make efforts to steer out of this crisis,” he asked. He said that Pakistan alone is not facing such a crisis; the entire world’s economy is suffering.
“A laborer avails himself of Rs80 subsidy for one-liter petrol, while a land cruiser owner takes Rs8,000 subsidy on 100-liter petrol. Can such a subsidy be continued,” he asked. Petroleum Minister Senator Musadik Malik said the previous government laid land mines through subsidies on fuel and left the country in an economic mess.
Imran Khan had decided that there would be no further increase in fuel prices, which had no ratificatio
n in any official document and was only a political proclamation. Had the government delayed the price increase for a month, the national exchequer would have to bear the burden of Rs100 to Rs120 billion monthly.
The total defense budget is Rs1,536 billion, whereas this fuel subsidy cost is between Rs1,200 to Rs1,500 billion, was announced by the ousted prime minister Imran Khan. Malik said the entire country’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) was Rs727 billion, and the federal government much-criticized expenditure of only Rs550 billion while the government announced Rs360 billion BISP relief.
He added that it was easy for us to shrug our shoulders by claiming it was the previous government’s decision. Still, the government took responsibility for fixing the economic issues. Federal Minister for Communications Asad Mehmood suggested that a national commission be formulated to probe the powers behind former prime minister Imran Khan taking over the country, leaving the state in various crises.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stressed the need for changing habits and making a united effort to face the current crisis. The defense minister said that a lot of electricity could be saved if people started their businesses early in the morning and closed by Maghrib prayers. He said that saving electricity means saving oil.
“If we do this, neither will we have to use expensive oil that much and nor will the consumers have to bear the burden of expensive electricity,” he said, adding that it is just a fundamental change that people need to bring to their lives.
He said that 3,500MW of electricity could be saved through this method, which will go over 4,000MW if Karachi also follows it. However, he said that the traders are currently unwilling to accept the suggestion. He said fuel prices would go down if the Russian-Ukraine war stopped.