PESHAWAR, Aug 11: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday allowed three months time to the federal government to wind up the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) and directed it to ensure timely payment to the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) on account of supplying furnace oil to power plants to avoid crisis of extreme nature.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Malik Azmatullah fixed the next hearing on Nov 3 with the direction to the Water and Power Development Authority’s (Wapda) chief legal advisor Rana Asif Saeed to inform the court of all the developments.

It also directed the government that the proposal of getting additional energy from China be also considered on urgent basis, if feasible.

The court ordered the government to ensure timely payment in transparent manner to thermal power plants to avoid crisis of serious nature. It was added that the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) should also be paid their dues in reasonable time so that they could perform their functions in accordance with the agreements.

The court was hearing a set of petitions, including its last year’s suo motu notice of excessive loadshedding by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco).

Advocate Mohammad Essa Khan appeared for some of the petitioners, Abdul Lateef Afridi represented the CBA Union of Pesco, standing counsel Jamil Wardak appeared for the federal government, whereas additional advocate general Obaid Raziq appeared for the provincial government. The Pesco chief executive Mohammad Wali was also present during the proceedings.

The bench observed on several occasions that the high ups of the ministry of water and power and Wapda had made commitments before the high court that the Pepco would be wound up and the last time they committed that the process would be completed before June 30.

Advocate Rana Asif said that following direction of this court a high-level meeting was convened recently and certain decisions were taken with regard to early dissolution of the Pepco, which will be replaced with Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA). He contended that the Pepco had thousands of employees which needed re-adjustment, therefore, two to three months time be given to complete the process.

About increasing the electricity quota for Pesco and Tesco (Tribal Electric Supply Company), the counsel stated that a meeting would be called to reconsider the constitutional position and it would be assessed as to what extent the already allotted quota to the Pesco and Tesco could be increased.

During the previous hearing the court had directed the Wapda and Pepco to enhance the electricity quota for the Pesco as it had also been providing electricity to the Tesco. It was observed that under the constitution the tribal areas had their separate status under the supervision of federal government, therefore, the electricity quota meant for it should be separate.

The bench observed that it was expected of the ministry to consider the grave crisis this province was confronted with as 80 per cent of the industries had been closed down rendering thousands of workers jobless, who could become easy commodity for the miscreants.

The bench also directed the Pesco chief executive that schedule of loadshedding be revisited and no loadshedding should be carried out during Iftar and Sehr times.