PESHAWAR, Aug 7: NWFP government is likely to take up the issues of non-payment of arrears accumulated against water and power development authority on account of net hydel profit and loadshedding across the province at a meeting with the Wapda chairman Zulfiqar Ali Khan, according to official sources.
The Wapda chairman is scheduled to pay a brief visit to Peshawar on Friday and will hold separate meetings with the NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani and Governor Syed Iftikhar Ali Shah.
Sources told Dawn that the disputed issue of net hydel profit and power breakdowns experienced in several parts of the NWFP recently were likely to be taken up by the provincial chief minister during his meeting with the Wapda chairman.
Sources said that the NWFP authorities had recently conveyed their reservations to the chief executive of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) vis-a-vis suspension of power supply in various areas of the province in the recent past.
Similarly, the provincial government is also likely to repeat its stand on the issue of payment of net hydel profit share to the NWFP and arrears it had laid claim against Wapda.
The Wapda chairman is likely to make a case for the recovery of his organization’s arrears outstanding against the provincial public sector organizations and defaulting departments of the provincial government.
Issues relating to the currently launched campaign to install electricity meters in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), recovery of arrears outstanding against the Fata electricity consumers would come under discussion at the meeting between the Wapda chairman and NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who is also administrative head of the Fata.
Besides, according to sources, Wapda chairman is also likely to ask for enhancing security for Wapda installations particularly power supply lines and towers installed inside Fata.
The Wapda experienced huge losses in a span of six months as a result of damage caused to its towers on the main power supply line inside Fata and tribal areas adjoining NWFP.
Some six large towers were destroyed by blowing them up with explosive devices by the unknown culprits in the Shabqadar area adjoining Fata.
The Wapda chief is likely to take up the issue of security and would ask for strict measures by the Fata administration to ensure safety of the Wapda installations in the tribal areas.