Daily Times

Senate Standing Committee on Power directed the Power Division to provide list of defaulters and outstanding dues in each DISCO in the next meeting. The committee met under the chair of Senator Saifullah Abro asked about the ‘capacity charges’ which are being paid to Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee questioned about the electricity theft and electricity subsidy for the current financial year. The officials stated that approximately Rs.467 billion worth electricity theft and around Rs. 976 billion electric subsidy has been provided in the financial year 2023.

Senator Saifullah Abro lamented the IPPs and attributed them as the primary reason behind the unjustified electricity costs. He pointed out that IPPs have inflated the invoices of three significant power plants, a fact acknowledged by the Secretary of the Power Division. He maintained that unless the IPP issue is resolved, the electricity crisis cannot be effectively tackled.

The Senate body also discussed the public petition of Ashraf Ansari regarding non-payment of group life insurance to retired employees of WAPDA. The officials informed that Group Life Insurance has been provided in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servant Retirement Benefit and Death Compensation Act, 2014”, however, there is currently no existing Act that serves as a basis for providing Group Life Insurance to the WAPDA employees.

After detailed deliberations, the committee decided to amend the Act to resolve the issue of WAPDA employees.

Moreover, as to the current status of implementations of recommendations relating to 765kV Dasu-Mansehra-Islamabad T/L (Lot-I) and consultant M/s GOPA Intec, the officials of Power Division apprised that a Committee to analyse the bidding process of LoT-I and investigate the alleged irregularities of M/s GOPA Intec has been formed and a comprehensive report will be submitted before the committee within a month period time.

The body also discussed 765kV Dasu-Mansehra-Islamabad T/L (Lot-II) in which after detailed deliberations the committee unanimously decided that M/s Harbin Electric International is a disqualified firm for LoT-II and huge irregularities have been found by the body. Power Division may take action against the company and M/s GOPA Intec as per discussion in the previous Committee meeting related to LoT-I.

The meeting was attended by Senators Fida Muhammad, Bahramand Khan Tangi, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Prince Ahmed Umer Ahmedzai, Sana Jamali, Haji Hidayatullah Khan, Asad Ali Khan Junejo, Additional Secretary Power Division Arshad Majeed and other senior officers of relevant departments were also in attendance.