PHOTO: REUTERS
LOWER DIR:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Saturday that his party’s government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been working on 365 power projects in the province.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the Koto hydropower station in Lower Dir. The project, which will be completed in four years at a cost of Rs12 billion, will produce 40 megawatts of electricity, he said. “After the completion of the project, we will provide power for Rs4 per unit to domestic consumers.”
Attendees at the ceremony included K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Finance Minister Muzaffar Syed, Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Atif Khan.
Imran said the PTI-led government would establish small power houses in different parts of the province to curtail outages in the areas. He said 40% of electricity was produced with furnace oil in Pakistan while K-P produced surplus electricity. “The country’s circular debt has surged to Rs600 billion,” he added.
Read: Hydroelectric power plant: Financiers stop $433m loan for Neelum-Jhelum project
Without constructing new dams, the province generates 4,000MW of power, he said, adding that electricity would be expensive due to the increase in oil prices.
He used this occasion to highlight that a large part of the provincial budget has been set aside for education. He also pointed out that police officials were being appointed through the National Testing System (NTS) in the province.
Read: Economic corridor: Hydroelectric power projects come last in priority list
On this occasion, CM Khattak said the Ehtesab Commission was an independent institution. He added that the commission took action against corrupt officials independently, while opposition politicians cried foul. “The Ehtesab Commission is a neutral body,” he reiterated.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2015.
COMMENTS (3)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ