ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has exempted all cotton ginning factories countrywide from loadshedding and directed the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) to provide them uninterrupted power supply round-the-clock.The decision was taken due to around 12 hours of daily load-shedding and low demand which have forced some 800 ginning factories across the country to shut their operations.

Mr Ashraf said due to significant increase in power generation which brought power shortfall down to 1800MW on Thursday from 6100MW earlier, load-shedding duration was being minimised to six hours from 11 countrywide.

He directed the Pepco that there should be no forced and unscheduled load-shedding and after the improvement in the power generation, relief should be passed on to consumers.

He said action would be taken against those who would not follow orders of minimum load-shedding despite increase in the power generation. He said that people were now happy as they had taken a sigh of relief after long hours of load-shedding in the previous months. He said that the government was taking all measures to end load-shedding in the country by December 2009.

For this, the process of establishing power projects, rental power projects had been completed and would be operational in minimum time-frame on fast track basis. Mr Ashraf directed Pepco officials to remain vigilant and resolve problems of the consumers without any delay.

He expressed with hope that due to increase in water release from Mangla and Tarbela in the next few days, the power generation would further improve and load-shedding would come down to at minimum level.

He said that arrangements were being made to control power situation in future so that people may not face any difficulty.

He said other important industrial sectors would also soon be exempted from load-shedding.