Appointment of experts with vested and conflict of interests while ignoring the fit and proper criteria in the name of power sector reforms is causing further increase in the energy cost which resulted in increase in cost of doing business.
The concept of Boards in the energy sector was introduced to improve the working of the power sector by formulation of policies which improve the efficiencies and bringing down power generation and distribution cost was marred with the appointment of non-practitioner and political interest appointees. This has increased the cost of the distribution companies (DISCOS), rather to reduce the energy cost of the consumers.
These views were expressed by the experts including former federal secretary power division Irfan Ali, Former Managing Director PEPCO Tahir Basharat Cheema, President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Mian Nauman Kabir on a discussion organized by the Lahore Economic Journalist Association (LEJA) on ‘Energy Sector Reforms – Increase in Cost of doing Business’, here on Thursday. The session was convened by LEJA President Muhammad Sudhir Ch.
Irfan Ali speaking on the occasion said that during the last three years the appointees in these Boards in the name of reforms managed to increase their meeting attending fee to three times which increased the expenses of the DISCOS. But not a single reform is come so far. Further, the privatization of power sector is impossible in the uniform tariff existence.
