July 19, 2007	Thursday	Rajab 03, 1428

ISLAMABAD, July 18: The Senate Committee on Water and Power on Wednesday expressed deep concern over continued loadshedding and breakdowns in different parts of the country especially in Karachi and Wapda and KESC failure to provide quality service to citizens.

The committee also expressed its surprise and dismay over the unusually high distribution losses of 22 per cent against the world average 12 per cent.

The committee asked the organizations to make serious efforts to resolve the problem on permanent basis. “Consumer satisfaction is critical,” said a committee member.

The Senate Committee directed the country’s main power generators and distributors, Wapda and KESC, to plug the loopholes in their systems and come up with a forward-looking broad-based and futuristic vision to rid the country of frequent power breakdowns and the menace of loadshedding.

The Committee also urged that all stakeholders such as Wapda, KESC, domestic and industrial consumers and agriculturists etc to deliberate upon the issues plaguing the existing system of power generation and distribution in a broader context and to suggest practical answers.

“We get electricity for two or three hours a day in Shangla,” Senator Maulana Rahat Hussain told Dawn. The Senator almost walked out when the Chairman Wapda said in the meeting that he was helpless.

“People have been pooling money to buy their own electricity poles. We have been using our own electricity that we generate using the river which again is not sufficient,” the Senator said adding, “If President Musharraf can take action against Lal Masjid, he should also take action against one of the most corrupt department (Wapda) in the country.”

He pointed out that after privatization of the KESC people had been suffering more from power shortage. He said that people in more than 100 villages in Balochistan were still in darkness.

Senator Muhammad Amjad Abbas pointed out that non-payment of electricity bills was a matter of concern. “Wapda may have shown some improvement in Punjab regarding collection of bill payments but needs to be strict in places in Sindh where there is no concept of paying electricity bills for domestic consumption.” He suggested other options as back up plans to overcome shortage of power.

Wapda attributed the present dismal situation to high growth rate in the economy, unusually high temperatures and failure to construct major hydel projects arguing that no shortcuts were available.

The CEO, KESC who also briefed the Committee on the power generation and distribution system and said the KESC faced nearly 1,300 to 1,400 mw shortfall. The KESC was planning to install two new plants of 780 mw in Karachi. Contracts had already been awarded which were likely to be commissioned during the next two years to make up for the losses.

Calling for legislative support, the CEO said that meter theft was the major problem being faced by the KESC which was also being dealt with by replacing old meters.