Karachi:
The Sindh Prime Minister Murad Ali Shah organized on Sunday a high -level forum to bring together federal ministers and the leadership of industrialists to discuss issues related to the mandatory change of electrical plants to energy distribution companies (disc), according to a recent decision of the cabinet.
The meeting decided that all the proposals and reservations expressed by the industrialists would be presented to the prime minister for their final decision, according to a statement from CM House. It was also decided that the Prime Minister would be requested to constitute a committee to determine the transition period with respect to the imposition of encumbrances.
The main minister categorically declared that the remote gas from the captive power plants after the transfer of industrial units to the national network must remain within the province.
The meeting served as a platform for the rain of ideas between industrialists and representatives of the federal government to establish a schedule for the transition of electric plants to discos.
The Meeting, Held at CM House, was attenthed by the cm Murad Ali Shah, Federal Finance Minter Muhammad Aurengzeb, Petroleum Minter Ali Pervaiz Malik, Power Minister Awais Leghari, PM’s Special Assistant Rana Sanaullah, Mnas Syed Naveed Qamar, Asad Alam, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Federal and Provincial Secretaries concerned, MD SSGC, the CEO Moonis Alvi and industrial leaders of the city, including Zubair Motiwala, Shabir Diwan, Jawed Balwani and others.
The meeting focused on in -depth discussions with respect to the proposed increase in the captive power rate. “There are approximately 660 captive energy plants in Sindh,” said the CM. “The industrialists have raised concerns about the proposed tariff walk. We have dedicated this Sunday to listen to them,” he added.
The prime minister expressed his gratitude to the federal government for accepting listening to the concerns of first -hand industrialists. He urged federal ministers to gather contributions directly from the interested parties of the industry before making any decision.
The Federal Minister of Finance, Muhammad Aurengzeb, while informing the participants, said: “We are here today by invitation from the Sindh government to listen to industrial concerns. The country’s economy is growing, and this progress includes the efforts of all interested parties. The prime minister has addressed us to the policies that guarantee industrial growth.”
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik stressed that President Asif Ali Zardari and the president of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, have also emphasized the importance of solving industrial problems in Sindh. He recognized the efforts and commitment of CM Shah during a previous zoom meeting with industrialists.
Power Minister Awais Leghari informed the meeting that a 30 percent reduction in the industrial rate has already been implemented. He added that the distribution companies (disc) are improving their operations and a viability plan for 7,000 MW of energy generation is ready.
