ISLAMABAD:The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that gap between demand and supply of electricity has already been bridged.
Minister of State for Power Abid Sher Ali informed the House during Question Hour that the PML-N government took power generation to 19,200 megawatt last year, which was 13, 500 megawatt in 2013. Power generation will likely to touch figure of about 24,000 megawatt during summer this year.
He said that revenue based load-shedding is being observed across Pakistan and no discrimination is made on the basis of province or company.
Abid Sher Ali said that distribution lines are also being upgraded across Pakistan while hundred percent mobile meter reading is being ensured in various distributing companies to avoid overbilling.
Responding to a question, Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Secretariat Raja Javed Ikhlas about 200 kilometers of Railways track has been replaced across Pakistan last year.
He said that about 649 kilometers of Railway track is being renewed under various projects out of which replacement work on 302 kilometers length has been completed.
Answering a question, Parliamentary Secretary said that 1184 acres of Railways land has been retrieved from illegal occupies across Pakistan.
To a question, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam informed the House that the nine steel units in Islamabad have been installed, online dust monitoring system and their efficiency is being regularly monitored.
The House today passed “The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2018”.
The bill was moved by Minister of State for Power Abid Sher.
Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Secretariat Raja Javed Ikhlas today informed the House that there is no proposal is under consideration regarding privatization of Pakistan Post.
He was responding to a Calling Attention Notice regarding advertisement for private public partnership with frantic timelines to hastily privatize huge government assets.
The Parliamentary Secretary said that Pakistan Post is the oldest institution of Pakistan and the government is taking steps to upgrade its performance. He said that Pakistan Post had presented an agenda of reforms in 2015, which was approved by the Prime Minister to revamp the institution. He said under that agenda the prime minister has approved public private partnership in three heads, which include mobile money order, parcel and logistic project, and rehabilitation of post offices’ infrastructure. He said that so far no company has shown interest in these bidding. He said that at present, Pakistan Post is facing a deficit of eight to ten billion rupees.
Replying to another Calling Attention notice, Parliamentary Secretary for Interior Muhammad Afzal Khan Dhandla said that Islamabad police is taking concrete steps to check one-wheeling in the federal capital. He said that Islamabad traffic police is also running a campaign in colleges and universities of the federal capital to create awareness among youngsters regarding harmfulness of one-wheeling.
The house has now been adjourned to meet again tomorrow morning at 10.30. APP/AFP