ISLAMABAD, Jan 24: Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi on Wednesday directed all Power Distribution Companies to speed up their work and complete all on-going projects before the onset of summer season to ensure smooth power supply.

The companies have been directed to complete work on up-gradation and augmentation of existing grid stations, replacement of outdated transformers and addition and strengthening of transmission lines to avoid load-shedding due to operational constraints.

The minister gave these directions while presiding over a meeting with Power Distribution Companies and the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) to review progress of their work.

The meeting discussed these companies’ plans for upgrading and augmentation of grid stations to strengthen the existing system to avoid the load management and to ensure un-interrupted power supply to consumers.

NTDC chief executive Haji Shabbir and chief executives of all power distribution companies gave detailed briefing to the federal minister about their respective on-going projects of low tension and high tension power lines, replacement of overloaded transformers and construction of new grid stations and progress as well as the work done so far.

They informed the minister that their companies were on target, and held out an assurance that the work on augmentation and up-gradation would be completed well before the coming summer season.

The minister emphasized the need for coordinated efforts, and directed all power distribution companies to expedite their work and complete their projects by end of May 2007. He was of the view that the transmission lines must be strengthened and the system should be improved to avert the load-management.

He said that strong and durable transmission lines would ensure un-interrupted and smooth power supply in the system. He directed all participants of the meeting to replace all overloaded transformers on priority basis.

The minister directed the power companies’ high-ups to accelerate their recovery campaign and initiate action against power theft and regularize illegal connections to reduce line losses and to avoid overload on the system. He asked them to snap power connections of habitual defaulters.

The minister appreciated coordinated efforts of Wapda and NTDC to enable power companies to put in place the augmentation and rehabilitation of the existing system in scheduled time.