GUJAR KHAN, Nov 24: The government is conscious of the problems of the masses and is providing relief in tariff to the power consumers.

This was expressed by Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf while talking to Dawn.

The chief executive officers of electricity distribution companies have been given a deadline to curb power pilferage by June 30, 2009, and those failing to control power pilferage and line losses would be expelled from their posts, he said.

The minister said power pilferage would be tackled on war footing and fresh legislation was also required to deal with power thieves with an iron hand.

He said the government was bringing into use all resources to control power shortage in the country. He said the coal reserves in Thar area would also be extracted with the cooperation of foreign experts and power would be generated.

He also hinted at the pilot project of wind energy that would soon be inaugurated in Thatta area of Sindh.

The minister said Pakistan was an ideal destination for foreign investors, and companies of international repute had expressed their interest in power generation sector. He said the PPP government had avoided imposition of extra tariff rates on agricultural consumers while the plight of industrial consumers was also in the notice of the government.

While enumerating his local development plans, the minister said a grant of Rs29 million had been approved and released for the construction of an underpass beneath the railway crossing in Gujar Khan city to alleviate the sufferings of road users traveling to the eastern areas of Gujar Khan tehsil.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also claimed of getting approval for the supply of gas to all the villages located in close vicinity of the oil and gas fields in Gujar Khan tehsil.

When asked to comment on the reports of rift between the PML-N government in Punjab and PPP leadership, the minister said there was no conflict between the Punjab and federal governments.

He said the PPP was a democratic party and its leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, had an understanding with Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif.

Mr Ashraf said PPP’s main agenda was to solve the basic grievances of the masses and the problems of the common people remain unresolved in the atmosphere of political conflicts. He dispelled the impression that the PPP was working on the lines to destabilise PML-N government in Punjab as according to the minister, the PPP was also a coalition partner in the provincial government.