There will be no load-shedding in areas where the recovery rate is 100%. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved Rs24 billion for the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) to replace outdated electricity transmission lines, repair transformers and install electricity poles.
Speaking to Express News on Wednesday, Pesco chief Tariq Sadozai said the power company was facing a tough time in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) because of the damages caused to its installations in the province.
“Last year’s militant attack on Sheikh Muhammadi Grid Station crippled the entire distribution system and the transmission line has been attacked by militants four times this year,” said Sadozai.
He added he had spoken to the provincial chief secretary about arranging security for Pesco installations across K-P.
“Last year, Pesco had 1,371 megawatts (MW) available and this year 350MWs were added to the system. Now we have more than 1,700MW electricity in the province,” claimed the Pesco chief.
“Our policy is ‘pay bills and get electricity’. There will be no load-shedding in areas where the recovery rate is 100%,” said Sadozai, adding industrial units have a 100% recovery rate and thus they are exempted from outages.
Similarly, cantonment areas have 90% recovery and are facing lesser outages, he further said.
The utility chief explained Pesco was forging agreements with residents of areas where recovery is zero and illegal connections are the norm, adding electricity will be provided to them if they start paying bills.
“This practice was exercised in Chagharmati and Kochian areas of Peshawar on an experimental basis and proved useful,” said Sadozai.
He further added that 148 consumer complaint points and six customer service centres had also been established. “Transformers across the province were upgraded at a cost of Rs2 billion and grid stations at a cost Rs5 billion,” he added.
The Pesco chief also vowed strict action against corrupt employees, saying they would be transferred if found guilty of corruption or malpractice.
As summer temperatures soar, several areas in K-P are being subjected to prolonged outages. The transmission lines in the province are outdated and cannot bear the increased load during summer, while electricity pylons are regularly targeted by militants.
On April 1, 2013, militants stormed Sheikh Muhammadi Grid Station in Badhaber, Peshawar after firing around 15 rockets at it. Two people were killed on the spot, while the militants kidnapped nine others. The next day, the militants killed three policemen and two security guards in their custody.
At the time of the attack, militants had planted several remote-controlled bombs inside the grid station. The powerful explosion caused a fire to erupt inside the installation which engulfed the machinery and transformers. The control room of the grid was also completely destroyed, disrupting supply to several areas for many days.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2014.
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