KOHAT: The vice-chancellor of Kohat University of Science and Technology (Kust), Prof Fida Khattak, has urged the provincial government to direct the district administration to provide a separate power line to ensure unhindered electricity supply to the institution.

Kust director works Altaf Hussain, when contacted, said that the VC had held several meetings with the district administration to resolve the electricity issue, but to no avail. He said that they had been sending reminders to the Chief Minister’s House, but there was no response as yet.

“I have also met with the high officials of Pesco in Peshawar and informed them about the problem and urgency of its resolution, but the problem is still unresolved,” he said.

Kust assistant director works, Khalid Usman, told this correspondent on phone that the university had made a payment of Rs10 million to Pesco in 2012 for the installation of feeder at the grid station from which a direct and separate line should be given to the university.

Over 4,000 students of the varsity have been facing the problem of low voltage and unscheduled outages which disturbed their studies.

Mr Usman said that the technical survey and issue of demand notice had been started in 2010 and only 20 per cent work remained to be completed. He said that the residents of Bahadar Kot had forcibly stopped the work of installation of poles and the power line, demanding that connection should be provided to their village from the university’s line.

“The problem would not have appeared if the matter of separate line had been inserted in the PC-1 at the time of establishment of Kust in 2001. Smooth power supply is a normal requirement of any university keeping in view its special needs,” Mr Usman said.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2016