LAHORE - The government is considering to increase electricity peak hours tariff besides phasing out subsidy on electricity bills following the crash down of the government's National Energy Conservation Plan, sources told The Nation here Tuesday. They said the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had finalised a strategy to introduce comparatively enhanced rates for consuming electricity from 6 pm to 10 pm in a bid to discourage peak hours power consumption. They said the WAPDA was of the view that the electricity consumers would adjust their activities after increase in the peak-hours tariff, which would provide way in conserving the electricity as the consumers had been keep on ignoring the WAPDA's demand in adjusting their timings. The sources said the WAPDA in a presentation to the minister a couple of weeks ago had pleaded that the practiced was incorporated across the globe as various countries were charging comparatively high rates of peak hour consumption aimed at reducing power consumption. They said the measure was also the punitive action being taken against the traders and shopkeepers of almost all the busy shopping areas throughout the country who stayed with a harsh stance at the fourth day of the plan where 100 percent shops remained open. They did not close their shops by 10 pm and continued their routine business for the second day after the passage of the deadline given by the government. The sources said that the trader community as well as the provincial government did not lend their helping hands to WAPDA in managing the demand and supply gap, which they said, was regularly on the increase. The sources said the decision was to be effective without urban-rural discrimination under the existing Shop Act with the objective to manage power load and rid the people from loadshedding. On the other hand, they said that the industries were to operate under staggering hours under the load management plan that was never been accepted by the industry.