THE prices for liquefied petroleum gas have been increased by Rs10 to Rs15 per kilogram. This rise, the latest of many, has pushed the price of LPG to a historic Rs200 per kilogram in Gilgit. Meanwhile, the LPG Distributors Association has rejected the increase and maintained that the gas mafia intends to make the government’s initiative and the new petroleum policy fail. ...

On the other hand, there are chances of a 43-paisa per unit increase in the power tariff. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority is scheduled to hear a petition by the National Transmission and Despatch Company Ltd seeking permission for the distribution companies to enhance the power tariff under the fuel-adjustment head. … Massive loadshedding ... [is] cutting supply to different cities from four to six hours a day.

Power and gas are becoming scarce in the country day by day. The prices of petrol are also being revised upwards every now and then whereas the scarcity of firewood is no secret either. Pakistan’s forests are spread over merely two-and-a-half to three per cent of its total land area whereas the ratio should have been at least 25 per cent. ...

Unfortunately, the government does not seem to be interested in overcoming the energy crisis. If mere statements could help, we would have not only overcome this crisis but would have been exporting power to other countries too. But the reality is that the wheel of industry has come to a halt for want of power. Gas supply to industry has more or less been cut altogether ... in order to keep the stoves in people’s homes burning. At the same time, the prices of different sources of energy go up every other day — energy becomes scarce or is altogether missing. In some quarters there is talk of using Thar coal reservoirs for power production but foreign experts have already declared that they are not suitable for this purpose because of the high sulphur content.

The government must take some immediate steps to overcome the energy crisis, keeping in view all the several shortcomings of the sector. Otherwise, the crisis will deepen further in the days to come. —(Nov 29)

Selected and translated by Intikhab Hanif.