Power bills: SCCI flays FCA revival for industrial consumers

PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has expressed grave concern over the revival of the fuel charge adjustment (FCA) in power bills for industrial consumers and termed the move detrimental for economic growth.

SCCI President Fazal Moqeem Khan, in a statement here on Monday, said the decision was completely contrary to the government’s commitments to bring down the electricity prices.

They said such decisions would bring sluggishness in the process of revival of the industrial sector and the economy. He said that the industrial sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also on the verge of closing, and the revival of rising fuel costs would force manufacturers to pack up their units and shift the investment from the country.

The SCCI chief said it was the need of the hour to incentivize the local industries rather than further burdening them with such unpredictable decisions.He urged the government and relevant authorities to reconsider the decision in the best interest of the industries and the national economy. “Let the wheel of industries continue to spin, which are the major source of employment for many households,” he added. Quoting the various official data and reports, the SCCI chief said over 50 percent of industries were rather close or running on very low production in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whereas the sick industries were in a dilemma and its revival was a challenging and daunting task for the government and authorities concerned.