HYDERABAD: Expres-sing its concern over the provincial government’s annou-ncement for closure of markets till 7pm, the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI) and the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), as well as other trade bodies, on Sunday threatened to harden their stance over unannounced electricity and gas loadshedding.

Opposing the government’s move, HCSTSI president Mohammad Akram Ansari said that if markets were exempted from power loadshedding completely, traders were ready to close their businesses by 9pm.

He was presiding over a meeting of the office-bearers of over 50 trade bodies and Anjumans held at the HCSTSI office here on Sunday. HCSTSI senior vice president Sikandar Ali Rajput, various chairmen and presidents of the trade bodies attended the meeting.

Mr Ansari said that after consulting the trade bodies, most of the businessmen reached a unanimous decision that if the government agreed to exempt all markets, business centres, shopping malls of Hyderabad district from power load shedding completely, they would be willing to close down their businesses till 9pm.

He said it was a difficult decision as mostly shoppers visited markets and malls in the evening and a huge sale was registered after sunset. But most of the traders would try their best to fulfill their commitment if the government cooperated with them in this respect, he added.On the other hand, the LCCI and other trade bodies in a joint meeting held at chamber’s office expressed concern over unannounced electricity and gas load shedding.

Representatives of the trade bodies threatened the government with strong protests if the government failed to improve the situation.

The participants observed that the Sukkur Electricity Power Company (Sepco) was in practice of sending inflated bills to its commercial consumers.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2016