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There is a need to realize technical capacity, knowledge, expertise, proper
designing of recovery strategy to stop the leakage and quality regulations to
balance the needs of various stakeholders including investors, consumers and
the government to ensure the recovery of tax revenues.
Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Federal Minister for Privatisation & Investment stated
this while inaugurating a five day Regional Workshop on Rate Making and Tariff
Setting held under the auspices of National Electric Power Regulatory
Authority (NEPRA) and Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/ Energy) India
sponsored by the USAID here today.
The Minister said that the role of government should be confined to policy
making and the ownership and management should be for the private sector
otherwise one could encounter inefficiencies and losses. Similarly the
independent regulatory authorities should manage the regulations with
integrity, knowledge and right procedure, he added.
He hoped that the workshop would form practical recommendations and further
strengthen the bonds among the South Asian countries.
Earlier, in his welcome address Lt. Gen. ( R ) Saeed uz Zafar said that
regulatory regime has become a new phenomenon around the globe whereas tariff
regime was not clear even in developed countries due to different perception,
market patterns and the requirements. A World Bank representative Mr. Masood
Malik while introducing the subject stated that the regulators have to play
important and key role in the privatisation of power sector.
This is the first workshop of its kind in Pakistan, which will include Country
Representations and critical issues regarding tariff for each country. Issues
like principles of rate making, retail tariff structure, attraction to private
sector investment are among the other topics to be discussed by the
participants. The program will also have a mock hearing at the end. Faculty is
from South Asia and America. Around 35 delegates from Bhutan, Bangladesh,
India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are participating in the workshop.
Addressing on this occasion Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that we could not
sell our national assets in haste and on throwaway price. He informed that the
offer received for Javedan Cement was within the acceptable area, which would
be placed in the upcoming meeting of the Board of Privatisation Commission for
its recommendations and then it would be placed before the Cabinet Committee
on Privatisation (CCOP) for its decision.
The Minister hoped that the bidding process of Javedan Cement Limited would
bring an efficient company into existence, which was good omen for the
industrialisation of Pakistan. The representatives of the bidders termed the
bidding process as the most transparent and according to their satisfaction.
The representative of Haji Ghani Usman And Group said that they would take
care of the workers and also install a power house of 100 MW.