September 19, 2007	Wednesday	Ramazan 06, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Sept 18: Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi has directed all the power distribution companies (Discos) to improve efficiency, reduce line losses and bring financial discipline in their companies.

The directives came from the minister in the first meeting of the Discos after the appointment of the new chairman of Wapda Shakil Durrani and chairman Pepco Munawar Baseer Ahmad on Tuesday.

He directed that the Discos should accelerate their recovery campaign and initiate action against power theft and avoid overloading in the system.

The minister also directed that the Discos should further reduce line losses and should take all possible measures to improve efficiency. He desired that professional auditors should be hired by the companies to bring financial discipline in their utilities.

All the companies should prepare their own mission statements to provide better facilities and customer-friendly environment to the people. Transmission and distribution infrastructure should be in good condition and there is no unusual breakdown or overloading, he further directed.

The minister stressed the need to make the utilities as customers-friendly, commercially viable and more responsive to meet the government’s objective of “Power for All”. He observed that due to the restructuring and reforms introduced in the power sector, greater independence and financial autonomy was being given to the companies with the objective to enable them to work under the corporate culture and ensure better delivery of service to the customers.

A restructuring plan approved by the prime minister recently is being implemented in Wapda to improve the efficiency of the power sector and to meet customers’ energy requirements on a sustainable basis.

Mr Jatoi said that the Discos now were fully empowered to make developmental projects in their respective jurisdiction.

The Pepco chairman in a detailed presentation informed the meeting about the new face of Pakistan’s power sector with crisis management objectives to stop load-shedding, construct new grid stations, reduce losses, minimise tripping, theft control, revamping of generation units and to improve customer services.

He further informed that on short-term basis, an integrated automated power planning system would be set up for generation, transmission and distribution to ensure system’s stability.