Govt need to consult traders first for energy conservation plan: ICCI

ICCI President urged the government to make a final decision on business hours after consulting with traders, who are the true stakeholders in the matter.

Govt need to consult traders first for energy conservation plan: ICCI

The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has urged the federal government to consult with the capital’s business community before launching the energy conservation plan.

ICCI President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari stated during a meeting of the chamber’s Traders Committee that the government wants to conserve energy, which is a good thing. However, he urged the government to make a final decision before launching the energy conservation plan on business hours after consulting with traders, who are the true stakeholders in the matter.

He stated that the country’s economy is currently in a bad state, which is causing business activity to decline. Because of the dollar crisis, the business community is having difficulty importing raw materials and goods.

He stated that business timings should be finalised in consultation with chambers of commerce, trade associations, and businessmen in general, so that energy can be saved and business activities can be protected from further damage with a unanimous decision.

The meeting unanimously passed a resolution urging the government to consult with chambers of commerce and trade associations before making any decisions during business hours.

According to Group Leader Khalid Iqbal Malik, the country’s imports have almost come to a halt due to a lack of dollars, and as a result, large industrial units are closing down. In such a situation, the government should avoid making unilateral decisions and instead try to develop a comprehensive emergency strategy to revive the economy in consultation with all stakeholders.

He proposed convening a large convention of federal capital traders to prepare consensus proposals for presentation to the government for the revival of business activities.

Khalid Chaudhry, convener of the Traders Committee and former senior vice president of the ICCI, stated that traders consume the most expensive electricity during the evening peak hours. He stated that the government wishes to save energy, but that revenue from electricity bills may be reduced as a result of reduced power consumption during peak hours.

He urged the government to focus on finding a peaceful solution to this problem by meeting with all stakeholders and avoiding imposing unilateral decisions.

Former ICCI senior vice president Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh, Restaurant Association President Khurram Khan, President of Jinnah Super Market Asad Aziz, Secretary General Abdul Rehman Siddiqui, President of E-11 Market Zahir Abbasi, Secretary General of Abpara Market Akhtar Abbasi, Secretary General of I-8 Market Zahid Qureshi, and representatives of various other markets also spoke on the occasion and urged the government to make a final decision in consultation.