Energy crisis: ‘G-B to produce additional 20MW by next month’

Treasury benches asked to explain chief minister’s U-turn over PML-Q.

GILGIT: Regional power minister Didar Ali on Thursday made a much welcome announcement for the electricity starved people of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), saying 20 megawatts of power would be added to the system by June.

Speaking during the 35th session of the G-B Assembly after another lawmaker, Amina Ansari, raised the issue of the power crises on the floor of the house, Ali said: “We will be getting rid of the menace of load-shedding within a month.”



He added the additional wattage will come from 12 hydel power projects which are in the final stages of completion.

As proceedings went on, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker, Sultan Ali, sought an explanation from the treasury benches if Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was still part of the coalition government. “The CM had announced in this house that he was parting ways with the PML-Q, but the media is saying something else. This house wants to know what the real situation is.”

Law minister Ali Madad Sher then explained the issue has been resolved in the “larger interest of the region” and that PML-Q is “back on track”.

Earlier this week, the chief minister had slated PML-Q lawmakers for making unfounded allegations of corruption against the Pakistan Peoples Party’s ministers and even dubbed them “snakes in the grass”. However, he retracted his statement the next day, reportedly following a late-night meeting with PML-Q leaders.

As the session progressed, Rahmat Khaliq of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) asked the law minister to explain why the local government bill had not been tabled in the house for discussion and approval despite a lapse of one year.

To this, the law minister replied saying work on the draft of the bill was under way and that it would be tabled soon.

“We have had seven meetings facilitated by the UNDP and more are on the cards. Once it (the bill) is complete, it will be submitted to the house,” said Sher.

Proceedings were later adjourned for an indefinite period. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2014.