MANSEHRA: Chairman of the Wapda Hydro-Electric Union Jamil Tanoli on Friday said that the Hazara Electric Supply Company (Hazesco) would become operational next Tuesday, promising an effective end to prolonged loadshedding and other electricity-related issues.

“We are aware of the people’s sufferings caused by prolonged and unscheduled power suspension, low voltage and other issues. The operationalisation of Hazesco will effectively address all these issues,” Mr Tanoli told reporters here.

He said that residents of Hazara had long been burdened by high tariffs and inadequate electric supply, but those challenges will be tackled on priority once Hazesco begins operation on July 1, 2025.

“Hazara, which comprises eight districts, requires over 1,000 megawatts of electricity. However, it receives less than 600 megawatts, causing a shortfall of 400 megawatts that leads to widespread power outages across the division,” he said.

It got permission earlier this year to buy, distribute electricity in region

The union chairman said the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority had licensed Hazesco earlier this year to “purchase, transmit and distribute” electricity in the region.

He, however, said some key issues, including the establishment of operational divisions and subdivisions and the appointment of operational staff, were stillunresolved.

“We are committed to resolving all outstanding issues once Hazesco begins operations in the next fiscal year,” he said.

Mr Tanoli said the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan had issued a certificate of incorporation for Hazesco under the Companies Act, 2017, registering it as a limited company.

GLACIERS REMOVED:The district administration has chopped off the unstable edges of hollow glaciers in Kaghan Valley for people’s safety.

The development came after three people, including a man and his son, were buried alive due to the collapse of the “Sohni Glacier” along the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road earlier this week.

“Kaghan Valley stretches over 144km but despite the possession of this vast area, we have established two dedicated rescue stations in Naran and Kawai. We’ve also upgraded the basic health unit in Naran to a rural health centre to provide emergency medical services to tourists and passengers en route to Gilgit-Baltistan,” deputy commissioner Khalid Iqbal told reporters on Friday.

He said an awareness campaign has been underway since the start of the tourist season in May, urging visitors to avoid unstable glaciers and the fast-flowing Kunhar River.

Mr Iqbal said three people, including two tourists, had so far drowned in the river this season.

Meanwhile, the Upper Kohistan administration has also adopted precautionary measures to ensure the safety of tourists and travellers in the district.

“We have warned tourists, residents, and commuters to stay away from glaciers, rivers and streams fed by melting snow and ice, as the ongoing heatwave was accelerating glacier melt and increasing water flow,” Upper Kohistan deputy commissioner Tariq Ali Khan said.

He said the district administration was on high alert and maintaining close coordination with Rescue 1122 to prevent any untoward incidents in the mountainous and glacier-covered areas of the district.

Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s Hazara chapter on Friday launched a door-to-door campaign to invite residents to attend a conference to be held in Battagram tomorrow (Sunday).

“Our party chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, will address this gathering,” JUI-F leader Mufti Kifayatullah told reporters here.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2025