Pakistan

Rental power projects merit concern: CJ

Rental power projects can not be ignored as the Asian Development Bank has raised serious objections about them: CJP

Express October 29, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Thursday that the rental power projects could not be ignored as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had raised serious objections about them in a report. According to the chief justice, the finance ministry also shares responsibility in the rental power policy.

The remarks came during the course of hearing of a suo motu case on the rental power plants.

The counsel for Pepco and the water and power ministry, Khwaja Tariq Rahim, while resuming his arguments before a three-member bench of the apex court, said the purpose of rental power projects was to eliminate load shedding and ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity.

Khwaja Tariq told the court that the ministry had invited tenders from national and international companies for the rental power projects.

However, he said, the contract was cancelled because electricity production was not started.

“The prime minister was not briefed about the tariff that the consumer would have to pay against per unit,” Justice Ramday observed.

However, Khwaja Tariq said that the tariff could not be determined before the bid which is why the prime minister was not briefed about it.

The chief justice observed that the burden of additional power tariffs will eventually affect the general consumer.

“Before one buys anything, a number of shops are visited, prices and standards are compared, whereas in the rental power projects nothing like this happened,” the chief justice observed.

He pointed out that the ADB report raised grave concerns over the projects which could not be ignored, adding that the finance ministry also shares responsibility in the rental power policy.

The court adjourned the hearing for October 29 with directions to the counsel to apprise the court about the number of plants installed, their costs and their capacity for power generation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (5)

Imran | 14 years ago | Reply All you people are commenting as if the judges are suppose to be angels which no body is. The Chief Justice is doing the right thing by inquiring about such shady projects otherwise all the burden has to be shared by the poor public and there will be a field day for the wrong doers. For God sake do not side with corrupt elite otherwise this country will eventually break apart when the poors will start burning the National flag and there will be no more Pakistan in existance.

KM | 14 years ago | Reply @Arifq ... so are you suggesting that the country goes for a toss to the political goons? If checks and balances are NOT appreciated, then why waste an opportunity to sell the country, than wait for complete devastation, and then the goons shall not even get pennies.

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Arifq | 14 years ago | Reply Honorable Judges wish to run the government from their judicial pedestal. Nothing changes in Pakistan, previously power was usurped by men wearing brown wardi's now we have men-in-black staging a "legal" coup.

Dr Meher Zaidi | 14 years ago | Reply http://wwwdevelopmentpkistan.blogspot.com/ All Energy issues discussed on this blog in detail. Mr Akhtar Ali has given us a good book Pakistan's Energy development ..The Road Ahead also.

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 14 years ago | Reply Yes, we also have lot of concerns, why you all accepted Plots. People are now interested on what goes behind the curtains. Noora kushti must now be stopped and allow the country to move forward.

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