LAHORE: The Jamaat-i-Islami has expressed its concern at reports that National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has approved enhancing the project cost of Nandipur power plant from Rs42 billion to Rs65bn.

“It’s a matter of much concern that under pressure from the government, Nepra has approved Rs23bn increase in the cost of Nandipur plant and allowed the government to recover the cost from electricity consumers,” JI Punjab Emir Mian Maqsood said here on Tuesday.

He said on one hand the masses were facing prolonged power outages and on the other they were being subjected to bear the cost of alleged mismanagement and inefficiency of the rulers.

He said making the consumers to pay the extra charges because of delay in the completion of Nandipur project is but a cruelty.

He demanded that the government pay attention to developing water reservoirs, including Kalabagh Dam, for generating cheap electricity, irrigating millions of acres of land, creating new job opportunities and ridding the people of loadshedding.

He advised the government to desist from overburdening the masses through enhanced cost of various projects.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2016