March 6, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 2, 1424

ISLAMABAD, March 5: The government on Wednesday announced to energise 4,500 tubewells during the current year and place 50 free-of-cost electricity connections at the discretion of every National Assembly member.

The announcement was made by Minister for Water and Power Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao along with chairman Wapda Zulfiqar Ali Khan while briefing over 50 MNAs here at National Assembly committee room.

He said that the Wapda had a target of installing 3,000 tubewells but the government had increased the target to 4,500 during the current fiscal.

The minister also told the parliamentarians that there was no ban on installation of new tubewells but expressed inability to extend flat power rates to agricultural tubewells across the country on the pattern of Balochistan.

The flat rate would rather be withdrawn eventually from Balochistan tubewells as well because the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were extending loans to the government of Pakistan for other sectors but were demanding withdrawal of Wapda subsidies, the minister said.

The MNAs, most of them belonging to southern Punjab and areas falling under the Multan Electric Power Supply Company (MEPCO) accused Wapda of corruption in installation of new connection and processing of tubewells installations, extorting the public and creating other problems.

The MNAs were told the president Gen. Pervez Musharraf had approved Rs1 billion for electrification of 1800 villages which had partially been electrified but the amount was still to be released by the finance ministry.

Wapda chairman Zulfiqar Ali Khan said there was no ban Šwhatsoever on the new agricultural tubewells and asked them to help Wapda sort out those officials who demanded money from the consumers by providing specific information.

He took strong exception to the allegations of corruption levelled by parliamentarians through the constitutional protection they enjoyed in the National Assembly and said neither the Wapda officials were angles nor were they dealing with the saints.

He said that Wapda would provide electricity to consumers on first come first served basis as per availability of finances and would place the priority lists of applications outside circle offices of distribution companies so that nobody could be discriminated against.

The chairman, Wapda, said the utility would restore electricity to agricultural tubewells after the consumers cleared their bills in three instalments.

He admitted that culture in Wapda could not be changed but said so was the case with overall culture prevailing in the country. He said that he has directed all the distribution companies of Wapda to hold monthly meetings with elected representatives so that public problems could be resolved.