PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa businessmen on Thursday complained about inflated power bills and asked the federal government to either return the excess amount to the people or adjust it in the next bills.

The complaint came from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Fawad Ishaq, Mohsin Aziz of Board of Investment and Trade (KP-BOIT), and former KPCCI presidents Dr Mohammad Yousaf Sawar, Ghazanfar Bilour and Sharafat Ali Mubarak during a news conference here.Traders, industrialists, and members of the chamber`s executive body were also in attendance.

Ishaq told reporters that inflated bills amounting to Rs70 billion had been issued intentionally to people stressing them out.

He said the policy of first overcharging power consumers and then accusing them of stealing electricity was unjustifiable and that the chamber would resist such moves, which negatively impacted on business activities.

The KPCCI president said the cost of doing business had substantially increased due to the soaring power tariff. He demanded that the government immediately stop overcharging powerconsumers and return the excess amount charged without delay.

Ishaq said the government had proposed to further increase power tariff but there was not justification about any such move.

He held the federal and provincial governments equally responsible for the growing problems of businessmen in the province.

The KPCCI president also complained about poor law and order situation in the province and blamed it for the flight of capital to other provinces.

He said no tangible steps had been taken by the government to maintain law and order and contain the growing incidents of kidnapping for ransomand extortion.

Ishaq demanded a comprehensive economic relief package for the revival of terrorism affected businesses in the province.

He called for upgradation and strengthening ofindustrialestates and urged the provincial government to allot land for the establishment of the proposed new industrial estates in Rashaka near Peshawar Motorway.

The KPCCI president lamented the ban on new gas connections for industrial and domestic consumers and said the restriction was completely unconstitutional and illegal as the province had been producing surplus gas and its supply of 500 mmef from all gas fieldsto other parts of the country against its actual demand of below 200 mmcf.

He urged the provincial government to raise the matter in a Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting for early resolution. Ishaq demanded that the government ensure uninterrupted supply of gas and power to industries in the province.

He said the chamber had proposed in the new industrial policy to implement six working days as the country was not in the position to bear only five working days.

The KPCCI president called for offering incentives to promotion of industrialisation and spending 10 percent of the amount received from thefederal government on net hydel profit on sick industrial units in the province.

He urged commercial banks to make the maximum lending instead of emphasising on swelling their deposits and extend soft loans on easy terms to the traders` community to support the terrorism-hit businesses in the province.

Ishaq expressed concern overreduction in PIA flights from Peshawar to Karachi and cancelation of flights to Kuwait and Malaysia from Peshawar.

He urged the government to make serious efforts for addressing the businessmen`s concerns on new ATTA and resolution of rebate of sales and income taxes.