No concession would be given to defaulters and power thieves in the ongoing operation, Interim PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Monday as the government deals with protests against exorbitant bills.

“Immediate action should be taken against defaulters of electricity dues in collaboration with provinces and law enforcement agencies,” he said while presiding over a meeting held to review the power sector.

Many people have taken to the streets against inflated electricity bills in Pakistan, with the religiopolitical party Jamaat-e-Islami warning against staging sit-ins outside governors’ houses. Businesses were partially shut on Saturday on the call of protest from traders, lawyers body, and a political party.

Reports say that many employees of power companies were enjoying free electricity worth over Rs22 billion per annum.

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A number of employees (120,000 approximately) of state-owned organisations in the power sector are being provided electricity partially or fully according to their pay scales, a former chief executive officer of a power distribution company told Dawn.

The caretaker PM was of the view that plans should be prepared and submitted under the guidance of experts for small hydel projects. Such projects would not only generate low-cost electricity but also help in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change, Kakar added.

He went on to add that local coal should be preferred instead of expensive imported coal in coal-fired power projects.

“Construction of 2400MW solar power projects should be started as soon as possible and transparency should be ensured in the entire process,” said Kakar.

Meanwhile, the caretaker prime minister has directed Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar to devise an effective strategy to bring economic stability to the country.

The prime minister said this in a meeting with interim Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar who called on him in Islamabad. The finance minister also briefed the premier on the current economic situation in the country.

On Sunday, Kakar said that the government wanted to bring a system where investments were made in the poor segment of society.

He added that a few people were relating the protests to “civil war”.

“I am trying to not make any final announcement because our whole finance and power teams are looking into the nitty-gritty things to suggest a short-term solution in a way that we don’t have to revoke,” he told Geo News while responding to a query on conservation plan.