Secretary water changed as loadshedding continues

ISLAMABAD: At a time when the government is under the spotlight on account of current electric power crisis and is trying to materialise the ongoing electric power projects to avoid the wrath of the masses, it has changed the secretary water and power Younas Dagha with immediate effect.

He has been replaced by Yousaf Naeem Khokhar. Khokhar who was earlier working at the post of secretary in Planning, Development and Reforms Division. Dagha has been appointed as secretary in commerce ministry.

According to the notification issued by Establishment Division on March 31, of which a copy is exclusively available with The News, Yousaf Neem Khokhar, a BS-22 officer of Pakistan Administrative Services, presentably posted as secretary Planning, Development and Reforms Division, is transferred and posted as secretary Water and Power Division with immediate effect and until further orders.

Though, the Prime Minister has transferred four secretaries Friday, the decision to change Dagha from the Ministry of Water and Power has raised eye brows of many, as the sitting government is too much sensitive about the power sector.

Dagha remained as secretary for water and power for over two years and before him about five secretaries were tried but they could not survive.

Has the government shot its feet by changing Mr Dagha when the low hanging fruits of some projects that are nearing completions are to be plucked and is Younas Dagha punished or rewarded? These are the questions that occupied minds of many. However, the challenge of incessant decline in exports will welcome him in the commerce ministry.

The sources say that the Prime Minister convened federal minister for water and power the other day and asked him about emergence of loadshedding in the country. The sources say, in that meeting, the Premier showed his annoyance over the non-payment to the IPPs owing to which some are non-operational and others are running at 40 percent of their capacity because of the cash flow situation. The sources also divulged Dagha also invited the criticism from the top over the ongoing wrangling with the K. Electric which is sold to a Chinese company. The emergence of the circular debt in the powers sector also worried the Premier.

However, Dagha did not respond and opted to keep mum when he was contacted on cell phone time and again and sent a questionnaire asking for the reasons behind his posting.

Giving Khokhar the huge assignment of correcting the bleeding power sector and making sure the timely completion of all the projects in power sector is beyond comprehension as he will take at least one to two years to understand the complexities of the power sector which has emerged as black hole in the economy. Let’s see how the new guard performs and bailout the sitting government.

During the tenure of Dagha, wrangling between MoWP and Nepra touched new high and both sides remained in fighting publicly through letters. On the issue of Neelum-Jehlum hydropower plant, he also developed some rifts with the then Wapda chairman by not making him the part of high level meetings chaired by Prime Minister over hydropower projects. In his tenure, the circular debt has again become the headache of the government causing surge in loadshedding.  

However, in the recent meeting of ECC, the performance of the ministry of water and power headed by Dagha was appreciated.