‘Public outrage rising over electricity bills’

Islamabad:Founder president of the Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) Samina Fazil has said that there is increasing anxiety among the people over exorbitant electricity bills. The public's anger over electricity bills can erupt like a volcano at any time, which will be very difficult for the authorities to handle, she added.

She stated that since IPPs have become a threat to the country's security, the government should resolve this issue immediately. Speaking at a meeting of women entrepreneurs, she asserted that the presence of corrupt IPPs hinders economic growth and prevents the masses from experiencing relief. If we don't address the growing public discontent over electricity bills, she warned, large crowds may choose to demonstrate violently. Samina Fazil said that the politicians who brought the country's economy to the brink to reward crooked IPPs are now expressing rage over excessive bills, which is deceitful behaviour.

She noted that corrupt politicians are sacrificing the interests of 240 million people in order to benefit 40 families who own different IPPs. She advocated for an immediate halt to the establishment of new IPPs, citing Pakistan's abundant power generation capacity relative to demand. Politics and IPP favouritism cause load shedding, not power shortages.

She demanded that the contracts with IPPs be either balanced or cancelled, and that the government pay its own IPPs a reasonable price. Electricity should also be purchased from the IPPs of the friendly country of China at a reasonable price, and this practice of plunder should be stopped because the IPP owners have been paid trillions of rupees and they have also rewarded their facilitators well.

According to Samina Fazil, the high cost of electricity bills has led to a rise in domestic disputes, despite the fact that housewives bear the brunt of these costs. Why does the government spend trillions of rupees without procuring a single unit of electricity from various IPPs, while various IPs receive payments ranging from Rs350 to Rs750 per unit, a situation she described as unbelievable? If contracts with IPPs were transparent, why are they kept secret?, she said, adding that due to the heavy payments of IPPs, the government has nothing left to invest in social sectors, which is ruining society. People receive electricity worth Rs10 for Rs60, and she noted that if they don't band together and resolve their issues, they risk bankruptcy before the country does.

On this occasion, IWCCI President Rizwana Asif, Senior Vice President Sonia Saleem, and former President Mrs. Mumtaz said that they will not allow the exploitation of 240 million people for the sake of 40 corrupt families. Businesswomen across the country pay outstanding tribute to former Federal Minister Gohar Ijaz and United Business Group Patron SM Tanveer for exposing the corruption of IPPs and offering all-out cooperation to both leaders.