GUJRANWALA, Jan 18: The Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) has planned to revamp the power supply system to avert loadshedding in future.

For this purpose, at least Rs5 billion have been allocated for upgrading and constructing more grid stations and completing 87 different schemes.

Gepco chief executive Rana Muhammad Ashraf Zahid told Dawn on Thursday that 402 villages in Gujranwala division had been electrified while 41 more would be electrified during the current fiscal year.

He claimed that almost all 87 schemes would be completed this year under which at least 11 new grid stations would be built besides upgrading other grid stations. Around five grid stations would also be established in Gujranwala.

Mr Zahid revealed that the number of consumers in the six districts of division were over two million, including 1.78 million domestic, 227,379 commercial, 40,271 industrial and 25,000 agriculture consumers.

The company, he claimed, had cleared last year’s all connection cases till Dec 31. Instead, he said, the company had reduced its 10 percent line losses.

He said that capable engineers had been employed to identify any fault in lines and power supply system.

The Gepco chief claimed that the doors of corruption and malpractice in the company had been closed when over 497 officials were taken to task.

To encourage the hard working staff, he said that 471 employees of different categories were promoted and 349 regularized.

PRAISES: The local chamber of commerce and industry appreciated the decision of reducing POL prices and suggested that the gas prices should also be reduced.

At a meeting held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of chamber president Rana Shehzad Hafeez, the participants said the government should keep POL and gas prices in accordance with the prices in international market.