PESHAWAR, May 13: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah and the commander of the 11 corps, Lt-Gen Mohammed Ali Jan Orakzai, will take up the ongoing power-cut drive in Fata and other issues of tribal consumers with Wapda chief.  

Talking to a group of local newsmen here on Monday, Mr Orakzai conceded that Wapda’s drive against the consumers would be having a negative impact on the government’s bids to introduce basic reforms in the tribal areas.

“ Certainly, it would be having fall-out impact on attempts to open up inaccessible areas in Fata by the help of carrying out uplift works in the tribal areas,” said the corps commander in reply to a question.

Apart from the issues concerning tribesmen’s complaints against Wapda, the rampant misuse of power in Fata would also be taken up, said the corps commander.

During his visits to Kundao, Darra Dar, Said Karam and Camel Bazaar in Kurram Agency on Monday, Lt-Gen Orakzai was apprised of the tribesmen’s complaints against Wapda. Locals asked the corps commander to get these issues resolved apart from extending power network to remote villages of the agency.

Army authorities posted at Kurram agency, during a briefing, told Mr Orakzai that the government’s efforts to extend electricity to 20 villages in the current fiscal and to additional 20 in the forthcoming financial year would, apparently, remain far from being effective owing to low voltage.