PTI leader Ejaz Chaudhary said on one hand outstanding dues of the private sector power defaulters has risen to Rs343 billion on the other hand Sharif Brothers have approved an amnesty scheme for defaulters and waived 30% of their arrears on payment of the remaining dues. He said again Sharif Brothers??? cronies would be rewarded in the name of amnesty scheme, as those who would enjoy this amnesty scheme are affluent businessmen and owners of big industrial empires. Instead of cutting their power and catching the defaulters Sharif Brothers are offering them amnesty schemes and it is sheer injustice with the consumers who had been making payments on time he added. He said these are the reasons circular debt is hurting the power sector Sharif Brothers have paid 500 billion to their near and dears in 2013 and now again the circular debt has piled up to 400 billion. Khawaja Asif is busy playing politics in the National Assembly and because of his failed and flawed policies line losses are increasing and power distribution companies have failed to recover electricity bills.
PTI leader Yasmin Rashid said how unfortunate it is that poor people are unable to bear increasing cost of electricity bills while elites class, which never pays their electric bill, would now enjoy amnesty scheme. Where should the poor go in this country as they have no other option but to pay the price for the incompetency of Ministry of Water and Power officials she added? She said Ishaq Dar within two weeks has negated his own statement that government would no longer issues SROs. To facilitate the power defaulters this 30 percent waiver on their outstanding dues is harmful for struggling economy she added. She said if defaulters would not be punished for not making their payments on time these amnesty schemes would encourage them not to pay as in the end they know they would enjoy 30 percent waiver in their outstanding bills.
PTI Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas termed amnesty scheme unjust and irrational she said this amnesty scheme would be swallowing billions of rupees of the poor nation. It is always the poor who have to pay more when electricity prices increases she added. She said Sharif Brothers and their cronies have always looted the public money by these dodgy amnesty schemes. When a money launderer is country???s finance minister then these fudging schemes are not an exception she added. She said public were already facing power and gas load shedding and are forced to pay higher electric bills. She questioned why does not Khawaja Asif and Abid Sher Ali makes bill recovery system more efficient and corruption free? This political elite and its ministers are blatantly shameless, inept and corrupt to the core and want to squeeze the poor more she added. She said these kinds of amnesty schemes are encouraging the people to get involved in more corruption and enjoy the amnesty scheme later on.
Media Cell
PTI Punjab