Centre seeks KPK’s cooperation in anti-power theft campaign

KPK, anti-power theft campaign

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Friday sought cooperation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) government in the anti-power theft in the jurisdiction of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO).

Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, in a letter to KPK Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur, also sought time for a meeting so that the power pilferage, losses and recovery issues could be discussed holistically for a joint strategy to improve the situation.

“As you are aware PESCO and TESCO operate in province of KP. These two organizations are among the low-performing DISCOs which are contributing to ever-increasing circular debt,” he said.

The minister said that during the current financial year, combined loss of Rs 188 billion, which includes under-recovery and loss above NEPRA’s threshold, was anticipated in PESCO and TESCO.

“Critical high losses areas identified in PESCO include D.I. Khan, Bannu, Karak, Kohat, Shangla and ex-FR Regions,” he said in the letter.

The minister said the TESCO operated in former tribal areas, where there was serious problem of non-recovery and non-meterization, and due to those factors, the Company might make loss of Rs 51 billion in the current financial year.

He said to curb the issue of rampant theft, reduce losses and improve recovery, the Federal Government had launched a nation-wide anti-theft campaign.

The success of the campaign, he said, “depends on whole- hearted support of provincial government and its authorities which is not currently available in KP”.

The minister sought special interest of the KP CM to ensure that support of police was available to PESCO so that the anti-theft campaign was successfully implemented in the province and the menace of power theft was rooted out.

“There is a challenge of weak writ of the government in the operational jurisdiction of TESCO. Two possible resolutions: either, the KP government prepares a comprehensive plan to support TESCO in recovery and meterization drive; or the provincial government takes over supply of power in TESCO region,” he further wrote.

The minister said the prime minister had recently constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Defence Minister for consultative interaction with the KP Government and other stake-holders.

The committee would start deliberations with the provincial government very soon and intended to visit the KP province for finalizing a sustainable plan of action.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/tquRaOf

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PTI’s Parvez Elahi released from Kot Lakhpat Jail

Image
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Parvez Elahi was released from Kot Lakhpat Jail on Tuesday following months-long imprisonment, ARY News reported. The development comes after Lahore High Court (LHC) granted the former Punjab chief minister bail and ordered his release in a case pertaining to an alleged illegal appointment made in the Punjab Assembly. LHC’s Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmad pronounced the court verdict reserved earlier . Following the release, the PTI president reached his Zahoor Elahi residence. In a statement, Elahi expressed his gratitude to supporters for their unwavering support during his recent struggles. “I am thankful to Allah for giving me the courage to remain steadfast. I am also grateful to the judges who stood by the truth and supported me.” Elahi also thanked those who prayed for him and stood by him during difficult times. He criticised the treatment meted out to him and his party workers in Gujrat, saying, “We were subjected to injustic
Read more

ECP notifies victory of 37 Senators

Image
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has officially issued notifications of success for 37 candidates who were elected to the Senate in the April 2 elections. According to a notification, among them are Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Ishaq Dar from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), both representing the federal capital. The notified senators from Punjab include Ahad Cheema (PML-N), Pervaiz Rasheed (PML-N), Hamid Khan (SIC), Raja Nasir Abbas (MWMP), Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi (Independent), Muhammad Talal Badar Chaudhry (PML-N), Nasir Mehmood (PML-N), Muhammad Aurangzeb (PML-N), Musadik Masood Malik (PML-N), Anusha Rehman Ahmad Khan (PML-N), Bushra Anjum Butt (PML-N), and Khalil Tahir (PML-N). The notification includes Syed Masroor Ahsan, Dost Ali Jeesar, Ashraf Ali Jatoi, Syed Kazim Ali Shah, Amir Wali Uddin Chishti, Faisal Vawda, Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Sarmad Ali, Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri, Rubina Qaim Khani, and
Read more

BSEK urges KE to exempt exam centres from load-shedding

Image
KARACHI: The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) urged K-Electric (KE) to exempt exam centres from load-shedding three days after the matriculation examinations began, ARY News reported. The BSEK’s controller of examinations wrote a letter to the KE and asked that power outages be avoided at exam centers during the exam period. The letter was sent through the additional secretary of the Universities and Boards Department. The BSEK also provided the KE list of examination centres across the city. The power utility was requested to avoid load-shedding during the examination period at all the centres. It is worth noting that 504 exam centres have been set up in seven districts of Karachi. Read More: NEPRA orders zero loadshedding during exams’ timing Earlier in the day, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Friday directed all power distribution companies (DISCOs) and K-Electric to revisit all loadshedding activities, especially during exams’ timing.
Read more