Petrol crisis: Govt depts squandering public money, says PAT

Report by party’s media cell launched.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Awami Tehreek said on Wednesday that the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and the Ministry for Water and Power had made the national economy suffer losses to the tune of Rs380 billion in the form of technical losses and furnace oil purchases.

The party said Rs1.2 billion was being paid to power generation companies that had not generated any electricity. A report released by the party’s media cell on Wednesday asked a series of questions from officials of the Water and Power Development Authority. These include: Reveal information regarding a pact, if any, with power generation companies that are being paid Rs1.2 billion annually despite producing no electricity; what are the names of the owners of inoperative power plants and why are these units closed despite long spells of load shedding; what relief has been given to consumers in the wake of the fall in prices of furnace oil from Rs20.30 to Rs14; why have closed units not started functioning despite the fall in the price of furnace oil and why do consumers and industries have to endure long spells of load shedding; power companies claim that they suffer losses of billions of rupees annually due to technical faults. The report said the nature of these faults should be revealed and asked how consumers were responsible for this.

Central President Raheeq Abbasi said departments established to serve the people were involved in squandering public money. He said the government had decided to wreck havoc on the power sector after bankrupting the Pakistan State Oil (PSO). Abbasi said the government had gained notoriety for creating crises.

He said the government benefited from crises as they provided it with an opportunity to fleece the public. He said the party would continue to expose the government’s follies.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2015.