Commissioner of Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon issued a new order on Saturday saying that markets will close at 8:30 pm and wedding halls will close at 10 pm.
All of the deputy commissioners were told about the changes and told to follow the orders from the federal government about the energy crisis.
Earlier this year, the federal cabinet approved the National Energy Conservation Plan. This plan put in place certain steps to make sure that national resources are used wisely. For example, markets and restaurants had to close early, and all government offices had to stop using electric appliances when they weren’t needed.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif gave a press conference after the cabinet meeting to talk about the most important parts of the austerity plan. He said that reforms were being made all over the country to save energy. He told people they should change their habits to save energy.
“We need to change the way we use energy in our daily lives. We do things differently than everyone else. The defence minister told reporters, “We make our own energy instead of using natural energy, which costs money to make.”
Under the plan to save energy, restaurants, hotels, and markets would close at 8:30 p.m., and wedding halls would close at 10 p.m. Also, they would stop making incandescent light bulbs and fans that use too much electricity. The government also planned to charge more taxes on electric fans that didn’t work well.
Asif said, “This plan [to close markets earlier], which was made after consulting with trade groups, will save about Rs62 billion a year.” “The plan has been talked about with business leaders, and they agree with this plan,” he said.
This week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, “The programme to save energy will now be carried out strictly.”
“Their power would be cut off if stores, malls, and markets were still open after 8:30 pm.”
He said that the country needs to adopt a culture of frugality. When asked how the minister would “survive” with these rules, Shehbaz said, “They will live their lives as they did before they got into power.”
