KP power grid unable to support power demands. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The CJP headed a two-member bench which resumed hearing suo motu cases pertaining to electric load-shedding, provision of clean drinking water, health facilities, security check posts and environmental degradation.
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On Wednesday, Justice Nisar had summoned the chief secretary to explain the efforts the government had made in complying with orders the Supreme Court had issued at the previous hearing of the cases.
“We have a total power consumption of 2,100 Mega Watts (MW),” the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (Pesco) chief Dr Muhammad Amjad told the court on Wednesday, adding, that their grid was too weak to properly distribute so much power.
“We have 3,000 MW electricity available but the supply system of the province is so weak that we cannot ensure uninterrupted supply,” Dr Amjad explained.
He said that their power lines were so outdated that they are unable to cope with the pressure of ever-increasing power consumption.
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“Where there is power available, there is no infrastructure,” the CJP remarked after listening to the Pesco chief’s explanations.
The top judge expressed dissatisfaction over Pesco’s performance and said that the company, whatever may be the power condition, was responsible for it.
Dr Amjad accepted that Pesco had failed to modernise the system amid rising consumption, adding that they had been unable to recover costs owing to massive line losses in the province.
To revamp the entire system — from power lines to grid stations — the Pesco chief said they required Rs5 billion. However, he said, the federal ministry of power has not provided them with the requisite funds and that they were unable of generating such a sum on their own.
“So this means that you have completely failed to ensure the provision of a basic facility to the public,” stated Justice Nisar and asked whether the Pesco chief had faced any constraints in receiving his salary over the past 20 years.
To this, the Pesco chief replied in the negative.
“You are getting all the salaries and privileges on time but you have never utilised your energies to ensure the provision of basic facilities to the public,” boomed the chief justice.
However, the Dr Amjid quickly defended himself, stating that he had only recently taken charge of the office.
He added that the power utility was helpless to recover electricity charges from 25 villages who have not been paying any bills, maintaining that they are entitled to free power since they are affectees of Warsak Dam.
The CJP then asked the Pesco chief to explain how the load shedding carried out during Ramazan.
Dr Amjad detailed that the minimum load shedding was of three hours while the maximum was eight to nine hours in a day — depending on the rate of line losses.
This only further angered the CJP and said that it is very sad that you have subjected the masses to such prolonged power cuts despite the scorching heat.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government raised the issue of the Rs9 billion in pending net hydel profit payments to the province, from October 2017 till March 2018.
The CJP adjourned the case and directed the federal secretary energy and power and the Pesco Chief to appear before the Supreme Court on Thursday (today) and explain the matter.
With additional input from APP.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2018.
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