Companies call for early market closure

Lahore: Power distribution companies have suggested the government not only order the closure of industries for two days a week, but also ensure all markets are shut down by 8pm in attempt to address the country's severe electricity crisis.

The development, confirmed by the Ministry of Water and Power officials in Islamabad, came hours after Premier Shaukat Aziz had directed the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to manage the power load without adding to public woes.

Facing a 2300-Megawatt power shortfall this year, Pakistan fears it may confront a shortage of around 5,000 Megawatts in the coming three years if energy conservation is not done on war-footing.

Meanwhile, WAPDA has demanded an immediate payment of over Rs95 billion (Dh5.75 billion) of its outstanding receivables from the public sector to ease its financial constraints, attributing it to be the key reason behind aggravation of the power outages across the country.

The department's total receivables have crossed the Rs134.3 billion (Dh8.12 billion) mark till date. This amount includes the Rs18 billion (Dh1.09 billion) price differential which the government had committed to picking up as subsidy a few months ago, but is yet to be paid to the utility.

"It is due to these long-outstanding bills that we have not been able to clear payments of the independent power producers, whom we owed Rs16.5 billion (Dh1 billion) at the start of April," a senior WAPDA official said yesterday.