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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Govt plans to review loadshedding schedule: Leghari

By Israr Khan
February 22, 2018

ISLAMABAD: The government is planning to review the power loadshedding schedule that it had announced in December as it cannot afford to finance Rs400 billion a year losses of the power distribution system despite surplus electricity is there in system, the Federal Minister for Power, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, said.

In upcoming summer, we would have more than sufficient electricity, but because of line losses and theft, we will not be able to provide it to the consumers, the minister said adding that “We cannot allocate Rs400 billion in budget to cover the losses.”

“It seems that we have to review the loadshedding management plan as the Distribution Companies (Discos) haven’t respond responsibly to the zero loadshedding initiative of the government and failed to cut the line losses,” Awais Leghari, said while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy here which met with Ch Bilal Ahmed Virk in the chair.

Leghari said that consumers and Discos both are not acting responsibly and the volume of losses will become unbearable for the government. Discos have failed to reduce losses and consumers fail to respond responsibly. He said in the areas where there is less loadshedding, they have to increase it to cut down their losses.

The committee, while discussing implementation of its previous recommendations related to the Power Division directed for devising centralised procurement policy for procurement of material for electricity infrastructure development schemes. The committee was apprised that development schemes being carried out under PM Sustainable Development Programme were facing shortage of required material resulting in delay of their completion due to lengthy procurement procedures and limited number of suppliers of construction material.

The federal government is providing Rs24 billion to the tube wells in Baluchistan annually while Rs24 billion is being paid by the government of Baluchistan. He said that the recovery of agriculture tube wells is very low and the tube well owners are not paying the agreed Rs10,000/ months bills. He said that within next two years a PC-I for the conversion of tube well to solar is ready. The minister said that Quetta region is causing Rs50 billion loss to national exchequer annually.

Awais Leghari blasted on distribution companies saying that there was no system in place regarding the proposed plan of implementation by the power distribution companies. He said that 80 percent schemes under sustainable development goals (SDGs) programme would be completed during month of April. However, he said that there were some hurdles in implementation of the schemes. He pledged to inform about schemes of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2 in a week time.

Leghari further said that there was no central desk regarding procurement by power distribution companies and said that there were few companies that were providing equipment and other materials to the power distribution companies. He said that power distribution companies had no plan to procure equipments and other materials during the next financial year 2018-19. He said that the Power Division would inform about details in this regard.

The committee, while discussing implementation of its previous recommendations related to the Power Division directed for devising centralised procurement policy for procurement of material for electricity infrastructure development schemes. The Committee was apprised that development schemes being carried out under the PM Sustainable Development Programme were facing shortage of required material resulting in delay of their completion due to lengthy procurement procedures and limited number of suppliers of construction material.

He said that government had completed 96 percent schemes under SDGs in first phase and said that all schemes in power sector would be completed in one month time in case all hurdles in implementation are removed. The parliamentarians raised the question regarding incomplete schemes in their constituencies. Leghari asked the members to provide details and pledged to complete schemes. Members committee regretted that power distribution companies had lacked material to complete schemes.

The parliamentary panel on Wednesday recommended the budgetary proposals relating to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of Power Division, the Ministry of Energy amounting to Rs193.73 billion for the financial year 2018-19.

The committee, while discussing recommendation of the committee regarding enhancement of quota of new domestic gas connections by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to meet the pending demand with Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), directed Ogra to expedite the matter in order to meet the public demand. The Ogra chairperson apprised the committee that the Authority had received petition of SNGPL for enhancement of connections to one million annually, which was under consideration and decision thereon would be taken during a week time.