Local benefit: ANP demands Centre hand over distribution of power produced in K-P

Haji Adeel says federal government earns billionsby selling cheap electricity at much higher rates

PESHAWAR:

As the issue of prolonged outages bedevils Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Awami National Party has demanded the federal government hand over the generation and distribution of electricity being produced by the province.  

“The federal government has been earning billions of rupees by selling cheap electricity at much higher rates,” ANP leader Haji Muhammad Adeel told The Express Tribune on Friday.

Leaders of the party are of the opinion that around 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts of electricity is being produced in the province at a cost of Rs1.25 per unit but the federal government is selling a unit for Rs15 to Rs18 to the province.

A large difference

Quoting the plan of Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi, who was appointed the economic adviser to former President Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry in 1977, which entitles K-P to its due share in the net hydel profit, Adeel said the federal government was bound to pay the province Rs45 billion annually but not a single penny has been paid under the formula. He added instead the province was being given Rs6 billion against its share of Rs45 billion since 1992.

“Punjab is hardly producing 10% of the total electricity that is being generated in the country but is regularly being paid Rs5 billion every year,” complained the party’s leader.

Wrong use of money

Adeel criticised the federal government for spending millions of rupees on advertisements regarding electricity projects, generation and conservation although money should be paid to K-P so that it can launch its own power projects. He added these advertisements says electricity is not generated and cannot be distributed free of cost so they should follow their own policies and pay K-P the arrears.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2015.