ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: Iesco will supply electricity to 400 villages in its jurisdiction under the Khushaal Pakistan Programme (KPP) before June 30 with a cost of Rs300 million, the company’s chief, Brig Waseem Zafar, said here on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn, Brig Zafar said the government had allocated a grant required for the electrification of the villages located in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal.

He said under a separate grant to be given to the MNAs, many power supply schemes would be completed in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The official said local MNAs had started submitting their plans regarding power supply to the remote areas of the two cities. These power supply projects were in addition to the schemes prepared under the KPP.

Under the directives of Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the grant to be given to the MNAs would be utilized only for provision of electricity, gas and telecommunication, a source said.

The government had also decided that the MNAs would not spend the grant themselves, but legislators would prepare their plan for the three utilities and the grant would be given to the government departments’ concerned.

The Iesco chief said electrification of 400 villages would be completed by June 30.

Talking about the criteria of selection of areas for power supply, he said the company followed the criteria of the Punjab government.

To a question about Iesco’s disconnection campaign, he said so far the company had suspended power supply to 80 government departments for non-payment of electricity charges. He said Iesco would cut power connections of 100 more government departments during the next week.

About the company’s drop-box campaign, Brig Zafar said some 60 drop boxes had been installed in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for receiving bills through cross cheques.

“People have started paying their bills under the new system,” he added.

He said another scheme of Iesco had gained a very good response under which 10 billing centres had been established in Rawalpindi.

“Today 67 consumers paid their bills amounting to Rs25,000 at Bakramandi centre and 30 turned up at Mareer office,” he added.