The government has scrapped reform plans for utilities like electricity, petroleum and water.rn
A donor funded government agency Public Interest Program Unit (PIPU) setup to speed up reforms will be wound-up at the end of the month.rn
rnThe agency helped set up the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), a multi sector regulator that is ready to regulate electricity first and other sectors later.rn
rnHowever, the future of the public utilities commission is now in the balance due to lack of clear government policy.
But experts say aggressive reforms will help the government objective of pro-poor growth in the long run.rn
rnThe PUC was set up under the previous UNF government as a super watchdog for utilities.rn
rnThe multi sector regulator was due to regulate the electricity sector with other utilities like water and petroleum added later.rn
rnOther utilities can be plugged into the PUC to be regulated when the government liberalizes markets.rn
rnThe Electricity Act was passed by the governme