Islamabad (IANS) Facing a huge energy deficit, Pakistan has drawn up a comprehensive plan for conserving power by advancing clocks by an hour and ordering markets to close by 9 p.m. from June 1. The adjustment in the Pakistan Standard Time (PST) would take it six hours ahead of GMT. Henceforth, sunrise in Islamabad will be at 6 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. and sunset at 8 p.m.
Pakistan, which faces an energy shortfall of 4,000 MW, has twice before attempted to introduce daylight saving time but has failed on both occasions, Dawn reported Thursday.
At a special meeting on the energy crisis held here Wednesday, the federal cabinet decided to call for international bids for generating 1,200 MW of electricity on a fast-track basis.
The country’s industrial zones will now observe off days on a rotation basis and air-conditioners in all government offices will be switched off between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Half of the street lights will remain switched off during the next three months.
The government will also import 10 million energy-saving bulbs.
Thaindian News
