FAISALABAD, Sept 22: Punjab Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad has said the issue of big city allowance for the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) will be taken up with the federal government for immediate solution.

Addressing a new power transformer installation ceremony at the 132KV University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) grid station on Monday, he said the government had been doing its utmost to eliminate power outages and by the grace of God the trend of loadshedding would be arrested by next year. He said the government inherited the loadshedding problem and its solution was top priority of the Pakistan People’s Party.

Mr Riaz said slain former premier Benazir Bhutto had signed agreements with the independent power producers (IPPs) for electricity purchase and it was proved that Ms Bhutto took timely decision.

Though PPP rivals made their reservations and tried to create different scandals over agreements with IPPs, yet to no avail.

Briefing the senior minister, Grid System Construction (GSC) manager Sheikh Ashraf said Rs66 million were spent on installing the power transformer.

He said five more transformers would be installed at different grid stations under the slogan “Electricity for all” for strengthening the existing system of Fesco.

He said the power transformer was installed within a short period of one week.