Electricity shortfall: QESCO proposed four more power houses

Move proposed to overcome perennial shortfall of electricity.

QUETTA: The Quetta Electricity Supply Company (Qesco) has proposed an establishment of four power houses in Balochistan to overcome the perennial shortfall of electricity.

Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, Chief Executive Shafiq Khatak said that Qesco proposed the federal government to set up power houses of 200 and 100 Megawatts in Quetta, Khuzdar, Loralai and Sibi so that load shedding can be eliminated. Currently there is shortfall of 600 Megawatts of electricity.

Khatak said that Qesco had so far provided electricity to 6,000 out of 11,000 villages in Balochistan.

“There are Rs28 billion outstanding dues immediately payable on the consumers, including departments of the federal and provincial government, agricultural, commercial and local consumers. If they do not pay their dues it will create further difficulties for Qesco to overcome the shortfall,” he told reporters.

He said that there is a Rs50 billion outstanding due on Qesco because of a subsidy which had been provided to agricultural consumers by the federal and provincial government. The subsidy to the agriculture tube-wells had increased the burden by Rs27 billions, he said.

He said that company has decided to recover at least 40 per cent of the outstanding dues from the provincial government departments otherwise it will be difficult to continue running the company.

He also urged consumers to pay their dues in time.

As many as 193 pylons have been blown up since 2003 due to which company suffered losses worth Rs247 million, Khatak informed, adding that the company has recruited 231 community guards to avoid further attacks.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2010.