A comprehensive strategy is needed to discourage the excessive use of electricity in the industrial sector, says the head of a leading trade body. “Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) will play its role in sensitising industrialists by organising awareness sessions and workshops on minimising the use of electricity,” said Dr Khurram Tariq, President FCCI while chairing a meeting of research and development section of the trade body.

Dr Khurram said there was a need to fix priority areas instead of trying to cover all segments with minimum available resources. “We must promote periodic energy audits of industries with proper follow-up to get the required results not only at the local but also at the national level,” he said. The FCCI president said that facilities should be provided at subsidised rates to serious industrialists intending to curtail their electricity bills.

He added that if some companies trimmed only 10% of their energy consumption, it would be a big achievement. He said that instead of promoting costly energy analysers, 95% of the task could be achieved with a minor expenditure of only Rs2,000. He observed that 70% patients visiting Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology were subjected to ECG (electrocardiogram), which was not needed for the entire lot.

He said that a filtration system must be invoked that patients were first examined at basic health units, then treated at secondary healthcare and in the final stage, they are supposed to be referred to the tertiary care institutions. About urban development, he said that most of the institutions were unaware of their core responsibilities. He said that a few years ago, the underground water level was 50 feet deep in Faisalabad city, which is now 150 feet deep.

He said that measures should be taken to improve the underground water level. Dr Khurram underlined the importance of arranging trainings for young entrepreneurs and said the FCCI could arrange training sessions for them, and a venture capital fund could be launched to implement their conceived ideas without any fear of financial loss.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk