Senate Body Considers Steps To Stop Power Theft

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Senators during meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Power on Tuesday stressed that efforts should be made to stop electricity theft and improve recoveries so that the government would not have to ask for loans from international financial institutions.

Chaired by Senator Fida Muhammad, the Committee was briefed on the industrial, commercial and domestic line losses of LESCO in one year and on the import of electricity from Iran and steps taken by the government to connect those cities of Balochistan with the national grid that are presently being fed through the imported electricity. The Committee was also told about the generation capacity of Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand dams and the estimated period of their construction.

Federal Minister for Power Umar Ayub said the government would work with the provinces to resolve issues related to the power sector. He said the circular debt had reached Rs 1300 billion, adding a task force had been set up to stop electricity theft and first big defaulters would be taken to task.

The Chairman Committee said that it was unfortunate that electricity was suspended in the areas of Makran and Gwadar. Gwadar was not linked to the national grid so far, he added. The committee was told that 6000 illegal tubewells were working in Balochistan.

The Committee was told that land for Bhasha dam could not be acquired due to disputes. LESCO chief said there was no system to know about the line losses of commercial and domestic consumers.

The Minister informed the Committee about the irregularities in the maintenance of transformers, adding there was only one meter reader for 20,000 homes in Batagram.

The Senators were assured that matters related to over-billing would be settled.

Officials of the Ministry and distribution companies attended the meeting.