Power conservation
\nTraders divided over conservation plan; APAT refuses to comply with decision of early closure
\n Islamabad
\nThe Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments have refused to comply with the federal government\u2019s conservation plan to save energy and reduce its consumption nationwide.
\nThe federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Energy Conservation Plan, which included the decisions to close markets at 8:30pm and marriage halls at 10pm.
\n\u201cThe approval to the Conservation Plan has been accorded in line with the advice of the Power Division. It will come into force at once across the country,\u201d Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said while unveiling the salient features of the austerity plan at a media briefing in Islamabad.
\nReacting to the decision, Punjab senior minister Mian Aslam Iqbal said that the provincial government will formulate its own energy conservation policy after consulting with all stakeholders including traders.
\nHe said the Punjab government will not implement the conservation policy as it was announced by the PML-N-led government \u201cin haste\u201d.
\n\u201cWe will meet with all stakeholders\u2026 a meeting will be held with the representatives of chamber of commerce and shopkeepers of Punjab,\u201d he added.
\nThe Punjab minister said that the economic condition of the country had already been deteriorated while the federal government \u201cis taking revenge for its failure from the people\u201d. \u201cThe decisions of the \u2018imported government\u2019 will not be accepted by the Punjab government come what may.\u201d
\nLikewise, K-P government information adviser Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said the federal government did not consult the provincial government on the energy conservation plan.
\nThe K-P is already taking several measures to save energy including widespread solarisation, use of LED bulbs and others, he added.
\nHe said steps are also being taken to eliminate environmental pollution.
\nThe information adviser said the provincial government had not taken any decision regarding the implementation on the federal government\u2019s policy yet.
\nTraders divided over conservation plan
\nOn the other hand, the business community is divided over the federal government\u2019s energy conservation plan.
\nThe Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has announced its support to the government\u2019s decision of early markets and restaurants closure while other organisations \u2014 All Pakistan Anjuman Tajran (APAT) and Markazi Tanzeem-e-Tajran Pakistan (MTTP) \u2014 have rejected the decision.
\nAPAT president Ajmal Baloch announced that the traders will not close shops before 10pm while restaurants will remain open till 11pm.
\nMTTP chief Kashif Chaudhry said that the government had formulated the policy without taking the business community into confidence and refused to comply with the energy conservation plan.
\nFPCCI\u2019s Pakistan Business Forum has supported the government\u2019s decision, saying that circular debt \u201cis eating the country like termites and this move will save electricity\u201d.
\nCriticisng the government\u2019s decision, Baloch said saving energy by halting the economic activity was not a wise move and suggested the authorities to adopt austerity measures in the government departments to save fuel and electricity.
\n\u201cAC and heaters should be switched off in the government offices and institutions. Rulers and bureaucrats should end VIP protocols and stop taking free petrol, electricity and gas.\u201d
\nChaudhry said that the country is already reeling under economic crisis due to flawed policies of the rulers and the government is taking such measures to hide its failures.
\n\u201cThe country\u2019s economic condition cannot afford such measures.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Power conservation Traders divided over conservation plan; APAT refuses to comply with decision of early closure Islamabad The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments have refused to comply with the federal government\u2019s conservation plan to save energy and reduce its consumption nationwide. The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Energy Conservation Plan, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-305392","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n