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CE urged not to allow spliting up of Wapda

Recorder Report

LAHORE: Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union has urged Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf not to allow spliting up of Wapda into 13 companies as it would further add administrative and overhead costs which, ultimately, would result in further increasing the electricity rates.

These views were expressed in a special meeting of the union held at the Bakhtiar Labour Hall here on Friday, says a press release of the union. The meeting observed that electricity rates were being increased every year since 1994. The rates were increased by 24.3 percent in '94, 14.5 percent in '95, 9 percent in '96, 7 percent in '97, 18.1 percent in '98 and 10 percent in '99. To further aggravate the situation, subsidy granted to the consumers at the rate of 30 percent had been withdrawn from the last month and 15 percent General Sales Tax (GST) imposed on sale of the electricity.