KARACHI: Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) President Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan has said that the announcement of up to Rs2.80 per unit increase in electricity tariff has come as a shock to the industries based in the port city.
“This is yet another blow to the industry which is already suffering from losses incurred first during Covid-19 lockdowns and again due to devastating rains in the city,” the KCCI president in a statement issued on Thursday.
He rejected the Economic Coordination Committee’s decision to increase the rates of electricity for consumers of Karachi and urged Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance & Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to immediately withdraw this “unjust and ill-timed hike”.
He opined that the country’s higher authorities had shown utter disregard to the miseries and losses suffered by people of Karachi by approving yet another electricity tariff hike.
“In July, the ECC had imposed a tariff increase of Rs2.89 per with immediate effect. Before the industrial, commercial and residential consumers could absorb the tariff hike, yet another increase was approved to further squeeze the consumers in a calamity-hit city.”
He hoped that keeping in view all the above-mentioned facts, the PM’s finance adviser would review the committee’s decision and immediately announce a withdrawal of tariff hike.
