BAHAWALPUR: The first-ever remote-controlled 132KV grid station in the division was recently commissioned at Bakshan Khan village near Chishtian, about 110km from here.

This was stated by Bahawalpur Circle Superintending Engineer (SE) Jamil Ahmad Bhatti here on Friday.

Talking to Dawn, the SE said that functioning of the grid station would be monitored by Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) staff of Hasilpur grid station, about 40km from Bakshan Khan. He said that the station had been constructed in Bakshan Khan on the demand of its residents. The remote-controlled station was functioning satisfactorily and supplying electricity regularly to the area, he added.

Project Director Omar Lodhi, from the Water and Power Development Authority’s (Wapda) grid stations construction division in Multan, told Dawn on the phone that the remote-controlled grid station cost about Rs10 million. He claimed that the station was operating according to Wapda’s expectations and that the authority planned to set up more of such stations in rural and far-flung areas.

Meanwhile, the executive engineer (EXEN) Mepco Bahawalpur division, Khawaja Niaz Ahmed, said that Rs180 million would be used to replace years-old and outdated high- and low-powered electricity wires in old Bahawalpur city.

The EXEN said Mepco embarked upon this project after an extensive survey of 103 areas where due to frequent power failures, cuts and low voltages, consumers’ electronics were burnt and sometimes even consumers lost their lives. He claimed that old wires would be replaced with new and coated wires, which would be safe.

LAPTOPS: Punjab Minister for Literacy and Non-formal Basic Education Dr Farrukh Javed on Friday distributed laptops among over 4,000 students of various educational institutions in the division.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif continued distribution of 115,000 laptops worth Rs7 billion among students with a view to equip the young generation of latest and modern technology.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017