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| October 12, 2005 | Wednesday | Ramzan 7, 1426 |
Steps taken to restore power supply
ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: The federal government on Tuesday mobilized all electricity-related companies of Wapda and National Engineering Services of Pakistan to start damage assessment and restoration of power supply to Azad Kashmir.
Federal Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi presided over an emergency meeting of ministry of water and power, distribution companies of Wapda, national transmission and dispatch company, KESC, Nespak and Private Power and Infrastructure Board to start rehabilitation work.
The minister announced contribution of Rs41 million in the President’s Relief Fund for earthquake victims on behalf of various departments of power ministry. He said these organisations would do more for the earthquake areas to normalize life there.
Mr Jatoi said that in this hour of national calamity, power ministry, Wapda and all its departments would do whatever was possible for the national cause.
He said emergency measures were being taken to restore electricity network in the affected areas. The chief executive officers of IESCO, PESCO and NTDC have been directed to visit the affected areas and take immediate steps for restoration and repair of transmission lines, grid stations and power transformers.
Wapda has also set up a central camp office at Islamabad to monitor rehabilitation and restoration of power supply system there. Eight batches of construction staff has reached there to assess the damage and to restore the damage work. More technical staff will arrive in this regard.
The AJK government operates distribution system in AJK itself but in this time of trial, Wapda has to provide technical and logistic support to the people and government of AJK for rehabilitation of the power system as well as contributing to its relief operation, the meeting decided.
Mr Jatoi told reporters that according to initial tentative assessment to grid stations under PESCO, seven were damaged with a loss of Rs130 million, distribution system damaged and caused a loss of Rs55 million, and official/residential buildings damaged and caused a loss of Rs32 million. Three people of PESCO died during the earthquake.
Out of seven grid stations in the PESCO, four (Abbottabad, Balakot, Battal and Muzaffarabad) have been restored or would be resorted within couple of days while Wapda crew were working to restore three grid stations namely, Thakot, Hattian and Noseri at the earliest. The IESCO has restored supply of two grid stations and both (Hajera, Rawalakot) were operational on no-load basis. Bagh grid station is not operational due to severe damage. The IESCO suffered a loss of Rs30 million.
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