LAHORE: The caretaker government has ordered measures to conserve energy, including closing all malls and markets at sunset to mitigate the effects of energy crisis.
A similar announcement was also made by the previous Shehbaz government regarding the closure of markets by 8pm across the country under the ‘energy conservation plan’. On June 6, the former federal minister made the announcement while talking to journalists after a meeting of National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by then prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The NEC has approved an energy conservation plan under which shops and commercial centres would be closed by 8pm,” he had announced, noting that energy has become a huge challenge for Pakistan due to global prices. However, no implementation was made on the measures announced by the previous govt. The closure of markets at sunset would save 1500MW of electricity, sources say.
Meanwhile, consultations have also been started with all the chambers federation and business communities to close the markets early.
