PESHAWAR: A mega project has been launched to improve power supply system in merged tribal districts and upgrade the region’s 66KV grid stations to 132KV ones, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan was told on Friday.

Officials told the chief minister in a meeting that work was in progress on a number of schemes, including provision of express power lines to district headquarters hospitals of merged tribal areas and solarisation of mosques, schools and healthcare facilities.

They said those projects would address electricity issues and ensure people’s development. The participants reviewed progress on the energy and power department’s projects being executed under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) of merged tribal areas.

Officials said the upgradation of Razmak and Wana grid stations had already been completed, while work was under way on the upgradation of Kalaya grid station in Orkzai tribal district, Alizai grid station in Kurram tribal district, Sadda grid station in Kurram tribal district and Ghalju grid station in Orakzai tribal district.

They said those 66KV grid stations were being upgraded.

Officials said the utilisation of funds against releases for these projects has been cent percent.

They said another project had been approved for the provision of 25 feeders to North Wazirstan, South Wazirstan, FR Bannu, FR Lakki, FR Tank and FR DI Khan, while work had begun on six of them.

Officials said solarisation of around 300 mosques in merged tribal areas had been completed, while the solarisation of 800 more mosques in the region had been proposed.

They briefed participants about action on the announcements made by the prime minister and chief minister during visit to tribal districts.

The chief minister expressed satisfaction with progress on the energy and power department’s projects and asked the relevant authorities to take necessary measures to complete projects within stipulated time to benefit the people of merged areas.

He said the completion of projects on time was the government’s top most priority and he won’t tolerate delay in the projects’ completion.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2020