Lucknow: BJP today termed the Uttar Pradesh government order for early closure of shops and eateries in a bid to resolve the power crisis in the state as “illogical”.
“The government’s order regarding early closure of shops and eateries for the next 15 days is illogical,” party spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak told reporters here.
He said that while issuing the order, the government must also clarify what arrangements it was going to make so that the situation would improve within 15 days. “The government should also clarify as to how it will resolve the power crisis in the next 15 days,” he said.
Reuters
In a bid to address the power crisis, timings of malls, shops and restaurants have been revised by the labour department.
“For the next 15 days all shops and malls in the state, excluding medical stores, will open at 11 am and would close at 7 pm,” an official spokesman said here yesterday.
Similarly, all restaurants would operate between 11 am to 10 pm, the spokesman said.
The state is facing acute power crisis this summer as there is a gap of more than 2,000 mega watt in supply and demand of the power.
“Wasn’t the government aware that there would be power crisis during summer season and why advance arrangements were not made to tackle the situation?” Pathak asked.
He said that the government should have set an example by switching off air-conditioners in its office first.
“Majority of the government offices have central air-conditioning system which consume huge electricity and are operational throughout the day,” he said.
The trader organisations have already lodged a protest against the labour department order while terming it as draconian.
PTI
