SKARDU, April 14: Public Works Department will launch a drive against misuse of electricity in Skardu city from May 1, says an official of the department.

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, Regional Engineer Ghulam Haider said that Skardu city was facing an acute electricity shortage because of low power generation and misuse of electricity by some people.

To coup with the existing power crisis in the areas the PWD has formed a body under the supervision of district monitoring team, duty magistrate and police to check misuse of electricity.

“The teams would check power theft, illegal double connection, use of electricity without meter, use of power from mosques and imambargahs,” he said and added that the team would take stern action against those found guilty.

He further said that there are 13,600 subscribers in the town from the Hoto to Hussainabad village. The existing power generation is 3 megawatt, including hydro and thermal power, while the present requirement of electricity in the area is 11 megawatt.

Mr Haider said that power-producing recources in the area were the same which had been installed a decade ago and no further development had been made since then. However, only two thermal power generators had been installed in the previous years, while the number of subscribers was increasing every year.—Correspondent