MULTAN: Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) Chief Executive Officer Muzaffar Ali Abbasi says various projects have been initiated to overcome the issues of low voltage, tripping and power fluctuation.

Talking to Dawn, he said that after taking the charge of his post, he had tried to resolve the issues, caused mostly by the lack of interest on the part of the Mepco administration. He said work to balance the electricity load among feeders had reduced the number of complaints. Mr Abbasi said there was only one grid station in Dera Ghazi Khan that was not sufficient for the area of 500,000 population.

“A new grid station at a cost of Rs350 million was set up but it was not made functional even after the passage of one year,” he said, adding he had arranged inauguration of the gird station while requesting State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali. He said 11 feeders had been linked with the new grid station.

The Fatehpur Grid Station was being established in Muzaffargarh circle and it would be made functional in the current week, the Mepco CEO said, adding it would help overcome the issue of low voltage, tripping and fluctuation in Muzaffargarh and Layyah districts.

He said Multan was also facing problems of fluctuation, tripping and low voltage and two new grid stations had been established to resolve the issues.

“The Bhaati Bangla Grid Station has been made functional and electricity supply is being provided to three feeders,” Mr Abbasi said, adding the Maan Kot Grid Station could not be made functional due to poor planning and there was a stay against two towers of the grid station.

He said a new feeder would be completed in Sadiqabad next week, adding a new feeder had been made functional to share load of seven feeders of Rahim Yar Khan.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2014