LCCI Demands Withdrawal Of Power Tariff Hike

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday urged the government to withdraw the recent hike in electricity tariff as the industry especially export-oriented unit are unable to afford hike in the price of their basic input for production

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Feb, 2024) Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday urged the government to withdraw the recent hike in electricity tariff as the industry especially export-oriented unit are unable to afford hike in the price of their basic input for production.

The LCCI President Kashif Anwar, Senior Vice President Zafar Mahmood Chaudhry and Vice President Adnan Khalid Butt said in a media statement here that National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has jacked up the power tariff by Rs. 7.05 per unit on account of fuel charges adjustment (FCA).

They said that repeated hike in power tariff is hitting exports and local businesses, while the majority of businessmen have been sent electricity bills many times more than their monthly income. Electricity is the main input for the industries, if its tariff is not lowered, the manufacturing sector will be destroyed completely thus turning the country into mere a trading place, they remarked.

The LCCI office-bearers mentioned that power tariff in Pakistan is already high compared to other regional countries and Pakistani products will altogether be out of competition in the international market, asserting that country has already lost much of the global market to Bangladesh and India due to high production costs.

They feared that high power tariff would increase the incidence of electricity pilferage. They suggested that instead of increasing power tariff again and again, stringent measures should be put in place to control line losses and power theft, besides enhancing the generation of cheap power through renewable resources.

Lahore Chamber's office-bearers urged the government to take immediate notice of the situation and announce an immediate reduction in electricity prices.