FAISALABAD: The Faisalabad Electric Supply Company plans to build seven grid stations of 132-KV, upgrade six grid stations of 66-KV, construct 40 transmission lines.
Fesco chief Khurshid Alam said this while addressing a meeting of officials at the Nishatabad grid station and GSO directorate on Tuesday.
He said Fesco Board of Directors had also approved the projects which had been sent to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. He said after completion of the projects the company would be able to distribute its load according to the international standards.
Elaborating the plan, he said keeping in view the industrial importance of the city, new grid station of 132-KV capacity had been planned. He said first grid station would be constructed near GTS flyover, second at Steam Power Station, third at Aminpur and fourth at 220-KV Jaranwala grid station.
Meanwhile, Fesco teams are regularly visiting the bazaars, commercial centers, shops, markets and patrol pumps to raise awareness in public for energy conservation.
Meanwhile, following protest by the denizens of Jaranwala and Samundri, the Federal Minister for Water and Power Khwaja Muhammad Asif has asked the Faisalabad Electricity Supply Company to include the Jaranwala and Samundari thesils in urban category instead of rural in context of loadshedding.
Capacity Building: Australian High Commissioner Peter Heyward stressed the need for capacity building especially in the livestock management in Pakistan.
At a meeting with faculty members of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, on Tuesday, he called for strengthening ties in agriculture, trade and academia between the two countries to ensure food security, economic growth and to get benefit from each others’ experiences.
He said the Australian government was focusing on food security which was one of the priority areas. He said collaborated efforts were needed to fight the challenges of water scarcity and food security as Pakistan is a victim of these crises.
He said a strong linkage between academia and industry was essential to move the country towards progress. He said Pakistan’s agriculture sector could enhance its efficiency by getting experiences of Australia.
He said Australia had been playing a significant role in enhancing productivity of the dairy sector in Pakistan.
Heyward vowed to make all-out efforts to boost trade ties between the two countries, pledging its full support and technical assistance for Pakistan in Australian markets.
He said Pakistani mangoes had got an access to Australian market. By adopting sanitary and phytosanitary measures, the other fruits and vegetables could be exported to Austria.
He said various Australian organisations were partnered with Pakistani institutions in conducting research that could be translated into strengthening the agricultural policy of Pakistan. He said under the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research’s (ACIAR) Australia-Pakistan Agriculture Sector Linkages Programme, various steps were being taken to flourish the agricultural sector in Pakistan especially in pro-poor value chains, enabling policy and agricultural capability.
UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad said under the ACIAR programme, the UAF was partnered with Australia in mango, citrus, tomato and social research.
He said strengthened ties of Pakistan and Australia would open up new horizons of progress. More joint research programmes were needed to address common problems of developing and developed nations.
He called for launching joint internship programmes so that students could get benefit from each others’ experiences.
Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2014