HYDERABAD, Oct 28: Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi has said that the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company has succeeded in reducing its line losses by 0.7 per cent and increased the recovery of outstanding dues by Rs 510.76 million during the just ended financial year.

The minister was presiding over a meeting of Hesco officials held at the Hesco colony here on Saturday.

The minister, however, urged the officials to further accelerate the pace of recovery and change their attitude towards consumers and solve their problems promptly. Later, he told a group of journalists that agreements have been signed with private investors who would invest in 13 power projects to increase the generation capacity.

He said under the Wapda Vision-2025, mega power projects would be completed which include Mirani Dam, Sabkzi Dam and Bhasha Dam.

He said the Bhasha Dam would be completed by 2010 while adding that an agreement has been finalised with Iran to obtain electricity from that country.

He said he did not see any political role of the PPP in the future political set-up and added that in Sindh, a coalition government will be formed with the MQM.

He said he would contest elections from his own constituency.

It was the PPP government which had allocated funds for the construction of Kalabagh dam, he remarked. He claimed that the present government had carried out more development works in power sector than any other government in the history of the country.

He said the present government had constructed new grid stations in Sindh and only in Dadu district, 300 villages had been electrified.

He announced that in future no retired employee of the company will have to go to Lahore for his pension or G.P. Fund as all such cases will be decided in Hyderabad.

The chief executive officer of Hesco, Jamiluddin, briefed the minister about the performance of the company.