SWABI, Sept 13: The provision of a new power transformer to Swabi grid station has become a bone of contention among the local politicians as everyone of them wants to take credit for it to win support of voters in the upcoming elections.

The new power transformer was provided to the grid station to overcome the problem of low voltage in the district. The Swabi grid station had two transformers but these were not sufficient to meet the growing demand of power consumers owing to rapid growth in population of the district.

Enraged by prolonged power loadshedding and low voltage, protesting consumers set Swabi grid station on fire on July 28. However, provision of the new power transformer worth Rs60 million to the grid station has brought happiness for the local consumers, who faced problems of massive loadshedding and low voltage for the last several years.

But now local politicians are at loggerheads over provision of the transformer as all of them want to claim credit for it.

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf leader Asad Qaisar claimed soon after provision of the transformer that the issue of low voltage in Swabi was resolved after his meeting with chief executive of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) in Peshawar.

“In fact it was PTI, which made rigorous efforts to resolve the low voltage problem. After the installation of the new transformer, power consumers across the district will no longer face low voltage problem,” he said.

On the other hand, leaders of Awami National Party including its ministers, MNAs, MPAs and district leaders also want to take credit for provision of the transformer. They claimed that their leaders were instrumental in provision of the transformer to the district.

In a public meeting held in Maneri the other day, ANP leaders were waving documents to people that according to them showed how Asfandyar Wali Khan played his role in provision of the transformer.

“We represent about 70 per cent population in the district. We know what the problems of the people are. We have documents to prove that the transformer was sanctioned by ANP leadership,” said ANP district general secretary Tamraiz Khan. The MNA of Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan, Usman Khan Tarakai, and his nephew Shahram Khan Tarakai also said that provision of the transformer to the district was a result of their efforts.

Mr Usman, who is chairman of National Assembly standing committee on energy crisis, said that their efforts materialised their dream of having the transformer in the district grid station.