Many industries to close due to increase in power, gas tariff: KATI

Tuesday, January 05, 2010
KARACHI: Trade and industry leaders have declared that the countryís economic sovereignty had been put at stake by the governmentís frequent raises in gas and power tariffs on the pressure of the IMF and the World Bank.

In a statement, the Patron In-Chief, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), S M Muneer, Chairman, Razzak Hashim Paracha and Vice Chairmen, Amjadullah Khan and Najmul Arfeen said it seemed the government was giving no priority to the industry which was the life-line of the economy generating revenue for the government.

“How can the government earn revenue and meet the targets if it strangulates the industry by unabated and frequent increases in gas and power tariffs,” questioned Paracha. He said that it was deplorable that NEPRA had allowed power companies to charge consumers with higher tariffs with retrospective affect.

“It is just like the bread one has eaten long before and the baker runs to your house asking to pay more for the bread you consumed months ago”, Paracha said terming it just ridiculous. He said nowhere in the world the consumers were being exploited the way NEPRA was exploiting power companies.

He said he had already warned that the un-proportioned and unrealistic increases in gas and power tariffs would result in large-scale shutdown of industries which had already begun as over 300 textile units had closed down in Korangi Industrial Area alone. He said the Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, had termed the recent wave of lawlessness and terrorism as a consequent of poverty and unemployment in the country.

He said this should be an eye-opener for the govt, which should not create further unemployment by raising prices of common utilities.
KIA SHARIF AUR KIA BADMASH

seems like you are refering to your pet dog

peer sahib,
like you, i also dont like taseer but atleast give him , his basic human right i.e to be classified as a human