Absence of power secretary irks Senate panel

Some members of the Senate Standing Committee on Power staged walkout from a meeting of the committee on Thursday, protesting against the absence of power division secretary and the energy minister.

The Senate Standing Committee on Power expressed displeasure on the absence of the relevant minister and the secretary from the meeting. However, some senators become furious when they were informed that the secretary had another “important meeting to attend to”.

The committee met to discuss a rehabilitation plan of de-licensed public sector power generation plants and improvement of power generation plants of all Generation Companies (Gencos) along with an independent inquiry report about damage and repair of 747MW in Block-V in GENCO-II.

The chair observed that the power division secretary did not attend the last four meetings of the committee. The additional power division secretary informed the committee that there was another important meeting, therefore, the secretary could not attend the standing committee meeting.

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Members of the committee protested against the continuous absence of the minister and the secretary in the meeting. They said that committee proceedings were fruitless without presence of relevant minister and federal secretary.

At the outset of the meeting, the chair asked about the inquiry report of the damage and repair of 747MW in Block-V of GENCO-II. Officials informed the chair that the report would be presented in the next meeting of the committee.

The chairman lamented the passive approach of the relevant quarters. He pointed out that officials had been saying the same thing for the last three meetings that report would be presented in the next meeting after approval of the board of directors but nothing had materialised, so far.

“Someone has to be held accountable for incurring such a huge loss to national exchequer. We will not allow the public money wasted in such a blatant manner,” the chair observed.

The meeting was attended by senators Saifullah Nyazee, Fida Muhammad, Haji Hidayatullah Khan, Bahramand Tangi, Hafiz Abdul Karim, Asad Ali Junejo, Prince Ahmed Umer Ahmedzai, besides officials from ministry of energy (power division) and Genco Holding Company Limited.