PESHAWAR: Minister of state for water and power Abid Sher Ali on Thursday accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of not cooperating with the federal government in the successful execution of power projects meant to end energy crisis in the province.

The minister told reporters at Wapda House here that the PTI provincial government was not serious about overcoming loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as had it been serious about it, it would have provided land for the establishment of grid stations.

“Rs540 million has been transferred to the provincial government’s account but it is reluctant to give land for 220KV Chakarda grid station,” he said.

Mr. Abid Sher said the foreign donors had pledged $90 million for the establishment of 500KV Peshawar and Kohat grid stations but the land acquisition issue had caused delay in the timely completion of those important projects.

He said a 220KV transmission line would be laid down from DI Khan to Zhob and that the Planning Commission had already made the PC-I of the project to overcome the problems faced by the people in those areas. Declaring the Central Asian South Asian CASA-1000 power project the game changer, the minister said the project was delayed due to the negligence of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

He said the project’s execution would allow the export of additional 1,300 megawatts electricity from the Central Asian States to Pakistan after the completion of the CASA-1000 project.

Mr. Abid Sher said it was the domain of the provincial governments to acquire land for power generation projects. He said the PML-led federal government believed in delivering services to KP not cooperating in energy projects, says Abid Sher the people instead of playing the negative ‘dharna’ politics and involving itself in ‘dance parties’ like the KP government.

The minister said the KP government was not serious about ending loadshedding and that it was conspiring against the people of the province but the PML-N wouldn’t let that happen.

“Around 524 feeders are facing from 70 to 90 per cent line losses in KP,” he said, adding that the federal government was striving to resolve all issues with KP government in a suitable manner.

Mr. Abid Sher said the federal government had resolved the longstanding issue of electricity dues between the federation and the province.

He said from 8,000 to 10,000 megawatts electricity would be added to the system by the end of 2018.

The minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would get additional 130 megawatts from the 800 megawatts Suki Kenari hydropower project.

He said the loadshedding and other electricity issues could be resolved in Nowshera, Chakdara, Bannu and Malakand if the KP government acquired land for the establishment of grid stations in those districts on time.

Mr. Abid Sher said the successive governments had failed to improve transmission lines, grid stations and electricity generation in the country.

He said the federal government was striving to end loadshedding forever by initiating mega power generation projects.

The minister rejected the KP chief minister’s charge against the federal government of stealing 600 megawatts electricity in the province and alleged the CM’s own relatives were involved in power theft.

Recounting the efforts of the federal government to increase power generation in the country, he said work on Dasu, Diamer and Basha dams was underway, while the Jamshoro power project would be converted to coal.

He said the government had planned to generate 10,000MW electricity by 2018 and was working ambitiously to resolve the long-awaited power crisis.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2016