FAISALABAD: Participants of a meeting held on Monday to discuss restructuring of power distribution companies and its impact on national growth and the economy asked the government to reverse the policy of dependence on expensive thermal electricity and replace it with cheaper hydropower generation and other alternative sources.
They said experimentation had created a crisis-like situation in the power sector which should be stopped in greater national interest. They asked the government to stop privatisation of Wapda and Pepco and all power distribution companies should be managed by the power wing of Wapda, which would keep updating the government about the working of these institutions.
Among others, the meeting was attended by representatives of electricity supplying companies of Lahore, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Quetta, Islamabad and Faisalabad.
It was also demanded that unnecessary interference of board of directors in administrative affairs of the companies should be stopped.
The meeting participants opposed the appointment of private, non-technical and junior engineers as chief executive officers of power distribution companies.
They called for immediate removal of company secretary and finance consultant of Islamabad Electric Supply Company, who they said had been hired at high salaries. According to the engineers, the government was taking steps to minimise expenditures but at the same time it was adding to the burden by “recruiting its favourites” in various companies.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2012
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