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PESHAWAR, May 9: Federal Minister for Water and Power Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Sunday said the government would announce relief to power consumers next week.
Speaking to newsmen here at the People's House, Mr Sherpao said Wapda had saved Rs9 billion and the government wanted to pass this benefit to the consumers.
He said the cumulative effect to be passed on to the power consumers, both in the domestic as well as industrial and commercial sector, would come to roughly about Rs3 billion. "The announcement may come next week or so," he said.
Later, Mr Sherpao told Dawn that the major focus of the proposed relief would be on consumers in the industrial and commercial sector with 1,000 units and more consumption, alongside those in the domestic sector in the lower slab.
Asked about the outcome of the presentation made to President Gen Pervez Musharraf on the construction of water reservoirs in the country, the federal minister said the feasibility report of Bhasha Dam would be ready by the end of June.
Work on Akori Dam in the NWFP that would generate 600mw electricity was also on fast track, he added. He said the government was signing a Letter of Interest (LoI) with an American firm to start work on Munda Dam in the NWFP that would generate 740mw electricity and irrigate land.
"President Musharraf is taking steps to ensure availability of water to agriculture sector. Water is becoming scarce and our country will suffer if new projects do not come up," he said.
He informed that work to raise Mangla Dam by another 30 feet would also commence by June. This plan would not only increase dam's water storage capacity by 2.9maf, but also generate additional 300mw hydel power. The minister said the government had decided to provide major resources for water projects in the next Annual Development Programme.
PPP-S MERGER WITH PATRIOTS: Mr Sherpao, who heads his own faction of the PPP, disclosed that merger of the PPP-S and PPP-Patriots would be announced by June 22. "Everybody is on board," he said, adding that the two parties would convene their respective meetings to get approval of the merger and then hold a joint meeting to announce the decision.
WHEAT CRISIS: The federal minister said he had raised the issue of wheat shortage in the NWFP with Prime Minister Jamali, and expressed the hope that it would soon be resolved.
He said wheat reserve situation in the NWFP was relatively better than in Sindh. Earlier, Mr Sherpao, who also holds the portfolio of the Minister for Kashmir Affairs, presented two cheques of Rs60,000 to a veteran journalist and former chairman Peshawar Press Club, Maqbool Ahmad Kashmeri.
Mr Sherpao praised Mr Kashmeri's contribution to the cause of Pakistan and Kashmir through his writings. Mr Kashmeri, who recently suffered a second stroke of paralysis, is bed-ridden for quite some time.
