HYDERABAD, Feb 22: The chairman, Wapda, Lt Gen (retd) Zulfiqar Ali Khan, has said that an amount of Rs6.6 billion had been earmarked for the improvement of the power supply system within the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco).

He said this while talking to the members of trade and industry at the secretariat of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.

He said that 38 per cent of this amount had already been utilized, and added that the chief executive, Hesco, and the board of directors of the company were fully empowered to take all decisions relating to power supply and their decisions did not need his approval.

He said that Wapda was the biggest organization of Pakistan which employed 130,000 workers and its revenue was Rs200 billion per annum and total turnover per annum was Rs400 billion.

He said being the biggest organization of the country it also had big responsibilities to face.

Referring to the power tariff, the Wapda chairman said on May 16, 1999 the prices of furnace oil stood at Rs5,500 per ton whereas the power tariff was Rs3.48 per unit.

He said that presently the prices of furnace oil stood at Rs15,700 per ton whereas the power tariff was Rs4.30 per unit, and added that while the increase in the prices of furnace oil was 180 per cent, the increase in the power tariff was only 17 per cent.

He claimed that during the last four years, the revenue of Wapda had been increased by 100 per cent from Rs93 billion.

He said that during 2001, Wapda had paid Rs24 billion for the purchase of power and given Rs85 billion to the IPPs whereas in 2002 an amount of Rs101 billion had been paid to IPPs.

He said that Wapda had paid Rs23 billion to the CBR as GST and Rs3 billion as withholding tax.

The Wapda chairman said that the salaries of the employees had been increased by 35 per cent.

He disclosed that he had sent a special package to the competent authority for the promotion of industries in the country and expressed hope that after the approval of the package, the industrialists would be given some relief.

He said Wapda was facing tremendous problems in the recovery of its outstanding dues against government organizations, and added that the only source of income of Wapda presently was the private sector.