TIMERGARA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan inaugurated work on the Koto Hydropower Project on Panjkora river here on Saturday. The project would be constructed at a cost of Rs14.77 billion.

The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation’s (Pedo) chief executive officer briefed the CM and PTI chief about the project on their arrival at the site. He said the Koto Hydropower Project would generate 40.8 megawatt of electricity produced by water flow of the Panjkora river. He said that the project, to be completed by Jan 2019, would cost Rs14.77 billion.

Provincial ministers Muzaffar Syed and Atif Khan, and PTI Lower Dir president Fakhruz Zaman also spoke on the occasion. DIG Malakand Azad Khan, JI’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Sahibzada Tariqullah, DDAC Lower Dir chairman Saeed Gul, Upper Dir chairman Malik Behram Khan and other government officials were also present on the occasion besides the PTI and JI workers.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the project, PTI chief Imran Khan said that it was a great occasion of pleasure that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was going to produce electricity from water. He said that the country had been generating costly electricity through imported fuel.

PTI chief says centre providing 400 MW less electricity to KP

He said that the rivers in Malakand division had the potential to generate a total of 4,000 MW of electricity. He said that people of the area would be getting uninterrupted power supply at Rs4 per unit on completion of the project.

“Power shortage is the biggest problem being faced by the people of Pakistan,” Mr Khan said, adding that the federal government had been spending money on other projects like metro bus service and motorways.

The PTI chief said that the centre had been providing 300 to 400 MW less power to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

About the local government elections in the province, he said that it was the real revolution through which people of the rural areas would be empowered. Warning the doctors’ community, he said that they should avoid boycotting their official duties otherwise the government would expel them from service.

The chief minister also told the gathering that rivers in parts of the province could produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity, but the federal government had not been providing funds for generation of electricity from water sources.

He said that the electricity from Koto Hydropower Project would assist in meeting power demand of the country. He said that the project would also generate revenue of Rs1.9 billion annually.

The chief minister said that Sharmai hydropower project would generate 45 MW of electricity and the project would cost Rs36 billion. Similarly, the Barikot Patrak hydropower project, Patrak Sharingal project and Shago Kas hydropower project would generate a total of 169 MW of electricity and they would cost Rs55 billion.

Mr Khattak said that the government was all set to transfer powers to the newly-elected local government representatives. He said that 30 per cent of the development budget had been set aside for local governments in the province.

About improvement in the education and health sectors, the chief minister said that duties of officials were being monitored through independent monitors. He said that the schools and hospitals would produce good results in the near future.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2015

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