As Gilgit plunges into darkness, G-B govt plans power rate hike

About 150,700 consumers in all seven districts of G-B, while 400 connections are issued to new consumers every day.

GILGIT:

As the capital city of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) experiences the worst power crisis ever, the regional government has decided to revise power tariffs in an attempt to streamline affairs at the water and power department, officials said on Thursday.

The government is considering revising power tariffs, a senior government official said. The new plan will be presented to the cabinet for approval.

On Wednesday, G-B secretary power and water Ghulam Mehdi, while talking to reporters, had said that Gilgit would be supplied electricity for two hours every six hours because of lower production. Load management was necessary due to the damage suffered by the main water reservoir of Naltar hydel power plant. However, 14 hours after the briefing, Gilgit barely lit up for two hours and that too from 2am to 4am.

According to official sources, financial crisis in the power department worsened the prolonged power crisis in the city. Because of the shortage of funds, power production units devastated by floods have not been fully repaired, he said. A four-megawatt hydel power unit has not been fixed since August 2010 after the floods unleashed havoc in the region.

Outstanding bills and electricity theft by consumers was a  major cause the department was short of money, said the official. However, people generally believe that deep-ooted corruption in the water and power department is the reasons for its bankruptcy.

Official sources said that the shortfall being experienced in Gilgit is about 23-MW in winter while it is about 25 per cent in Skardu, the second major city in G-B.

According to official statistics, there are 150,700 consumers in all seven districts of G-B, while approximately 400 connections are issued to new consumers every day. Minister for Water and Power, Wazir Shakeel, told The Express Tribune recently that about 120 MW of electricity would be generated by 2015 in G-B.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2012.