May 24, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1429

RAWALPINDI, May 23: Amid a period of acute power crisis, Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf has sought the cooperation of the people to conserve energy for 90 days (June 1 to August 31) to help reduce loadshedding.

“There would be no loadshedding from the Independence Day (August 14) next year”, said Raja Pervez Ashraf while presiding over a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Friday.

The meeting was convened to take stock of the progress in the implementation of cabinet’s decisions on energy conservation plan in the country.

Mr Ashraf said the government was working to install new power generation units on war footing, which would take some time.

The minister was of the view that energy conservation was the most effective tool to avoid power shortage with a core cooperation of consumers. He said the people of Pakistan should consider it as a national duty and conserve energy in the best public interest.

At the meeting, the provincial governments assured the Ministry of Water and Power that the decisions of the federal cabinet regarding energy conservation would be implemented in letter and spirit, and all the necessary steps were being taken in this respect.

The representatives of all provinces informed the meeting about the progress on the implementation of the energy conservation plan.

They apprised the minister that several initiatives were being implemented under the National Conservation Strategy, which included reduction in usage of domestic lights as well as street lights, billboards and decorative lighting, early closure of commercial markets and shopping centres, weekly off by the markets and shopping centres on Friday instead of Sunday, reduction in usage of ACs and appliances in offices, switching off all neon signs immediately at sunset and advancement of clock by one hour from June 1 to utilise maximum day light.

Negotiations have been finalised with all the stakeholders to implement the energy conservation plan, they further said.