LAHORE: Owners of textile export industries have managed to get the court’s stay order on new power bills being prepared under new tariff after the cancellation of concessions on electricity rates.
However, sources said the Lahore Electric Supply Company Limited (LESCO) is reluctant to accept the court’s stay order and has started preparing electricity bills for the textile industries under the new tariff.
Moreover, the electric supply company has hinted at disconnecting the power connections of textile industries over non-payment of bills and has urged the owners for timely clearance of charges.
LESCO sources said the stay order could not be applied over the new power bills.
Earlier, it emerged that the distribution companies had received a notification from the Power Division, which stated the ending of exemption to the textile industries from the levy of electricity bills. According to the notification, the textile mills will pay Rs20 instead of Rs12 per unit in term of electricity charges.
On Saturday, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) had decided to summon an emergency meeting to discuss all options, including the closure of textile mills, as the federal government had ended concessions on electricity bills.
The APTMA members claimed that it was impossible [for them] to run textile mills without receiving subsidy on power bills which had been promised by the federal government in January last year.
