PESHAWAR, Jan 6: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) would invest over Rs3 billion in the NWFP to improve and enhance the capacity of electricity distribution network by executing several extra high voltage projects in different parts of the province.

In a briefing to the Board of Directors of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) here on Tuesday, company's chief executive Brig Tahir Saeed Malik said Wapda had undertaken several important development projects to enhance effectiveness of its distribution network and ensure improved service across the Frontier province and its adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Similarly, Wapda has started execution of a development project meant to supply electricity to the NWFP from an alternative source of Ghazi Barotha-Nowshera-Shahi Bagh transmission line.

Another important project of Shahi Bagh-Sheikh Mohammadi transmission line and a Shahi Bagh grid station involving a total cost of Rs750 million was in progress.

According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, the company has also started execution of projects to establish 12 grid stations at a combined cost of Rs1,410 million in different parts of the province and Fata.

With a total investment of Rs687 million, the company would shortly complete the installation of 132kv Katlang-Sarai Naurang-Madyan-Warsak road grid station, 66kv Hassai grid station and 33kv Pattan grid station to improve electricity distribution network in the province.

Pesco's board of directors, headed by a private sector industrialist, Jamshed Sawal, was informed about the company's projects executed and completed in the 2002-03 financial year and the new initiatives it had undertaken recently and those planned for the future.

It was further informed that the company would shortly enter into an agreement with the Askari Commercial Bank to facilitate consumers to pay their monthly electricity bills through e-commerce and ATM pre-paid cards.