Centre not providing 40% of K-P's electricity quota: PTI lawmaker

PTI MNA Ayesha Gulalai claims K-P is supposed to get 2,100 MW but federal government only provides 1,300 MW

PESHAWAR: Ayesha Gulalai, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker in the National Assembly, has accused the federal government of not providing around 40% of the 2,100 megawatts (MW) electricity quota fixed for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Friday, Gulalai lashed out at the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and the federal government for prolonged power outages in the province which have left residents in misery.

Quoting figures provided to her by the energy and power department of K-P, Gulalai said that 2,100 MW has been fixed as the province’s quota but because of political differences, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has only been providing 1,300 MW.

“Despite the fact that K-P produces more than 4,000 MW and provides it to the government at 1.10 paisa per unit, the federal government provides only 1,300 MQW to K-P at Rs14 per unit,” Gulalai claimed.



She said the province has been facing more than 15 hours of outages which has disrupted students’ studies and water supply so much so that water is not even available in mosques for ablution.

Water has been scarce in homes and in farms because tubewells are not running, while patients are also languishing in hospitals without electricity.

She demanded that the federal government fix load-shedding in K-P by May 16 or she would lead public protests outside the offices of Wapda and Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (Pesco).

“If the problem still persists after protests, a sit-in will be arranged until the elimination of load-shedding from the province,” she said.

Criticising Adviser to the Prime Minister, Amir Muqam, she said PML-N made Muqam an “agent” in the province who has been installing transformers from public funds in areas that are loyal to his party, while the rest of the province suffers from power outages.

“Muqam has been installing transformers in his areas, while locals in other areas are forced to repair their transformers at their own expense,” she said.



She alleged that the Pesco chief was appointed on political grounds by Muqam and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl’s chief, Rehman Rehman, even though appointments were the responsibility of the province’s chief executive.

Gulalai also rejected Pesco’s claims that outages occur in areas where line losses are the greatest. “People are paying their utility bills on a regular basis. Pesco has made consumers responsible for line losses because of its obsolete transmission and distribution lines,” she said.

The MNA added PTI had completed various hydel power projects in the province such as the 17 MW plant in Kohistan, 6 MW plant in Dara Khwar, Swat and another in Machai, Mardan, with the capacity to provide electricity to 8,000 houses, but they remain non-functional.

“All these projects were completed in 2016 but PML-N has not provided transmission and distribution lines to these projects because they fear PTI’s success in the province,” she claimed.