The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) has received some 2,400 high tension poles in aid from the US government for installation in the flood affected areas.
The US Consul General Conrad Tribble handed over the poles to Jamil Gul Shaikh, Chairman Board of Directors of HESCO, at a ceremony held in Hyderabad on Monday at HESCO Power Wing Colony. The poles are worth $500,000.
Speaking on occasion Tribble acknowledged HESCO's endeavours to continue power supply electricity in the flood hit areas where the company's infrastructure was hardly hit during 2022 monsoon rains and consequent flooding.
According to the consul general, the latest support, given under the aegis of USAID, was a small part of a larger commitment of the US government to help Pakistan in strengthening its energy sector. He said the two governments are collaborating to mitigate the effects of climate change, a challenge which he described as daunting and lasting.
Shaikh, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to the US government for its considerate support. He expressed hope that the supply of poles will enable the company to fully restore its transmission infrastructure which was seriously damaged in 2022.
HESCO General Manager Technical of Umar Hayat Gondal, General Manager Operations Rana Muhammad Ayub, Chief Operating Officer Roshan Ali Otho, Chief Commercial Officer Nisar Ali Memon, Chief Engineering Planning Abdul Ghafoor Shaikh and other officers of the company were also present at the event.
The CG earlier visited the US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Water at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro. Tribble said the government will try to provide learning opportunities to the centre's students in the US universities under the students exchange program.
MUET Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Taha Hussain Ali said since the establishment of the centre 10 years ago in 2014, some 169 teachers and students have been sent to the US universities till 2019. He underscored the need to revive the exchange program.
The consul general also held a meeting with Mayor of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Kashif Ali Shoro in Hyderabad. The issues of water supply, renewable energy and population growth were discussed during the meeting, according to the mayor's spokesman.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2024.
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