PESHAWAR: Muhammad Sohail Afridi, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led an important meeting of the Energy and Power Department to discuss various projects that are in progress and also the ones that are planned in different areas of the province.
While reviewing the situation, Afridi stressed that every project should be done as per the schedule of its timelines only and he warned that if any of the officers entrusted with the projects were found to be negligent in causing a delay, he would take serious action against them.
Furthermore, he ordered that the issues of power cutting in the province be played up at the center so that the province could be given its due share in the national grid thus sanctioning the letters from the provincial government to the federal ones.
The Chief Minister promised discounted electricity rates to various industries by announcing the sending of energy to the different industrial sectors through local distribution and he instructed the staff to devise a plan accordingly. By stating that energy projects can be the launchpads of the economy by creating a chain of new jobs and facilitating the growth of the local industry, he assured the government to be at the forefront in this concerted effort.
Furthermore, the government has decided to give a huge relief to the industrial sector in the form of a 15 PKR per unit electricity rate reduction, leading to remarkable savings in power prices for industries. As per the words of Finance Advisor Khurram Shehzad, the unit price of electricity for the industrial sector has been changed, leading to a reduction of 23 rupees from 38 rupees per unit.
Khurram Shehzad argued that the decrease in power rates would be a game-changer for businesses as it would not only reduce the operating costs of businesses but also increase the level of industrial activities, and bring in capital and create vocational avenues for the youth.
ALSO READ: CM Afridi contacts political leaders for dialogue on provincial security
He also explained that apart from this move, the government aims at a number of other targets such as fostering growth in the economy, raising the foreign and local direct investment levels, and creating jobs in the country through radical tax reforms, cutting interest rates in half and opening the doors for capital.
