Irked Senate panel summons NTDC BoDs
The Senate Standing Committee on Power Tuesday summoned the National Transmission and Despatch Company’s (NTDC) board of directors to explain why the panel’s recommendation to produce the audio recording of the procurement body’s meeting that gave the nod to award the contract of a 765kV double circuit transmission line from Dasu Hydro Power Station to Islamabad project to two “unqualified” companies was not followed.
The committee, which met with PTI’s Senator Saifullah Abro in the chair, unanimously decided that the NTDC board of directors had breached the privilege of the panel.
It decided to send the matter to the Senate chairman so that it could be referred to the upper house’s Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges.
The members of the panel were of the view that the NTDC board of directors had used derogatory language.
As the meeting started, PPP’s Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi appreciated the role of the energy ministry’s power division for recovering Rs25 billion during the crackdown against electricity theft.
He also raised the issue of increased power outages in Tangi town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district even after 100% recovery from the area.
The power division informed the panel that the Mardan Model for "zero theft zero load shedding" was being inaugurated on Wednesday (today) and invited its members to attend the event for a briefing on the matter.
Senator Tangi advised the power division to hold meetings with the local police and judiciary for a strengthening collaboration in this connection.
While being briefed by the NESPAK managing director on the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) project -- Aluminium Conductor Steel-Reinforced Cable (ACSR) Bunting Conductor LoT -II A, the chairman of the committee raised an objection.
He pointed out that in the previous meeting, the panel had recommended to NESPAK to share the entire correspondence of the project with the NTDC and ADB.
The committee was informed that all files and record of the Engineering Development Board (EDB) had been destroyed in a fire that broke out in September 2017.
The panel expressed its dismay and suggested to the power division to form a ministerial committee and appoint an officer not less than the rank of a deputy secretary for further investigation of the project.
It also recommended NESPAK to re-evaluate the tender process of ACSR Bunting Conductor and explain it to the panel within two weeks.
When the panel took up the issue of producing the audio recording of the procurement committee in the case of the 765kV double circuit transmission line from Dasu Hydro Power Station to Islamabad, the ministry informed the members that it could not be obtained as following the NTDC chairman’s resignation, its board of directors had advised the company’s secretary to sought a legal opinion.
The meeting was attended by senators Fida Muhammad, Dilawar Khan, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Haji Hidayatullah Khan and Tangi as well as officials from the relevant departments.
(With input from APP)