MUZAFFARABAD, July 31: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has launched work on the construction of four of the nine much-required grid stations in Azad Kashmir, this was informed to a meeting here on Wednesday.

The meeting, presided over by the minister for electricity, Sardar Mir Akbar Khan, was held to review the performance of the electricity department during the previous fiscal year and to set guidelines for the current year.

Electricity department’s chief engineer Sardar Mohammad Altaf Khan, planning director Mushtaq Gorsi, superintending engineers, directors and other officials attended the meeting.

The meeting was informed that Wapda had not constructed any new grid stations and allied lines in the AJK since 1996, which had been the main cause of the increase in line losses and low voltage in many areas. However, during that period, the authority had been doing augmentation of the already existing transformers at different places.

In his briefing, the chief engineer said five district-wise schemes for the electrification of rural areas had been sanctioned under phase IV of the Rural Electrification Scheme and 14,000 poles would be erected throughout the AJK to provide electricity to around 100,000 people.

He stated that development work, such as installation of transformers and the erection of HT and LT polls, which had been pending for eight years, had also been completed in the previous year at a cost of Rs12.5 million.

Mr Khan said 70 additional local distribution transformers had been installed last year on the instructions of the prime minister, while 100 more would be installed in the current fiscal year. Besides, 11 express feeders were being constructed for stable and better power supply, he added.

Under the loss reduction plan (LRP), the CE said, old and defective metres were being replaced and capacitors bank being installed to reduce line losses and improve the voltage supply.

The offices of the superintending engineers, executive engineers and sub-divisional officers were being constructed in different areas at a cost of around Rs18 million.