News
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Cabinet mulls ways to ‘empower’ masses* 2,000MW of electricity added to national grid since June 23; 1,000MW more in 3 days
* Petroleum minister orders release of 28,000 tonnes furnace oil for power plants
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf chaired his first cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which focused on the debilitating energy crisis confronting the country and considered ways and means to ease it.
The meeting discussed various measures to cut down the hours of electricity load shedding. The water and power secretary apprised the cabinet that 2,000MW of electricity had been added to the national grid since June 23 and over 1,000MW more would be added into the system during the next two to three days. He said the situation of load shedding would ease up with the additional power. The minister of petroleum informed the meeting that he had ordered release of 28,000 tonnes of furnace oil for the power plants to increase power generation by about 1,500MW within the next two to three weeks. The prime minister directed the railways minister to make special arrangements for the early transportation of the furnace oil.
The railways minister informed the cabinet that three special trains had been arranged for the purpose and the supply of the oil would be ensured at the earliest keeping in view the urgency to generate more electricity. The water and power secretary was hopeful of meeting the target of generating more than 15,000MW during the next two to three weeks in view of likely increase in river flows. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira dispelled the impression created in a section of press that more than 600MW of electricity would be taken out of the KESC’s system for diversion to the national grid to reduce load shedding.
Prime Minister Raja also directed the Energy Committee to strategise the cutting of the line losses and theft of electricity, both of which have been causing huge losses to the power sector and consequently the national exchequer. He asked the Ministry of Water and Power to recover the outstanding dues of WAPDA from all the federal and provincial governments, departments and private-sector entities, without any discrimination, and stressed the need for conservation to overcome the electricity crisis. Raja also directed the ministry to ensure that there was no load shedding at sehr and iftar during the holy month of Ramazan, which commences next month.
Separately, the prime minister said Balochistan was a priority in the government’s policy and invited all Baloch leaders in and outside Pakistan to come and sit across the table to find an amicable solution of the issue. “My government is mindful of the fact that extremism, militancy, intolerance, sectarian violence and terrorism, all put together, have posed a serious challenge to our sovereignty, security and national cohesion,” Raja said. He invited all political parties to join hands in the service of the country. He also directed the management of Pakistan International Airlines, WAPDA, Pakistan Railways and Pakistan Steel Mills to focus on their operational efficiency.
Apart from discussing the energy crisis, the cabinet approved the Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Bill, 2012, to further amend the fifth schedule to the constitution, thereby increasing the pension of the widows of judges of the Supreme Court and high court judges from 50 percent to 75 percent. It also gave approval to several other MoUs and agreements.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk