MQM submits resolution against IPPs in Sindh Assembly

KARACHI: The MQM-Pakistan has submitted a resolution in Sindh Assembly against the independent power producers (IPPs), ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Ali Khurshidi and Najam Mirza submitted resolution in the assembly’s secretariat.

“It will become an issue of survival if capacity charges continued to be paid to the IPPs,” the resolution read.

“Per unit price of the electricity has reached to an unbearable level for the industrial and domestic consumers,” according to the MQM resolution.

“Agreements with the IPPs and payments are burden on the economy. The power tariff has become intolerable with erroneous agreements made with the IPPs in past,” according to resolution.

The resolution called the IPP agreements a threat to the national security and sovereignty.

Earlier, MQM leader Mustafa Kamal demanded of government to cancel the capacity charges agreement with local IPPs.

Mustafa Kamal talking to media said the situation has reached to the extreme where a brother kills another over the electricity bill payment.

“I plead to the prime minister that 70 percent IPPs have been locally owned. Talk to them over the mistaken policy, they have earned thousands of billions and now we could not pay them more,” MQM leader said.

Mustafa Kamal said he has talked with the NEPRA to fix the K-Electric tariff. The regulator must bound the company, not to close a feeder over non-payment, he said. “The shutdown of a feeder over non-payment suspends power supply to every consumer,” he said.

He said the power supply system in Pakistan could not be corrected until more than one companies operating in the field. “There are more than one companies across the world and until the monopoly will not end, a common consumer could not get relief,” he added.