Imran Khan directs to ensure uninterrupted power supply during Sehr, Iftar
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Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Ministry of Power to make special arrangements for ensuring uninterrupted supply of electricity during the holy month of Ramadan, especially at Sehr and Iftar timings.
He was chairing a meeting on the matters relating to energy in Islamabad.
The Prime Minister said installation of expensive power producing units in the country on foreign loans, while neglecting the transmission and distribution sector was a criminal mistake, and the ones who did it are national culprits.
He directed the Ministry to have special focus on introducing modern technology in transmission and distribution sector so that the problems of transmission and distribution system can be addressed.
While reviewing the challenges faced by the country’s power sector, especially the issue of circular debt, the Prime Minister was told that circular debt registered an increase of 450 billion rupees during the fiscal year 2017-18 alone.
The meeting was told that the basic reason of this increase was the then government’s political decision under which the ministry was directed to continue uninterrupted supply of electricity even to the areas with 100% pilferage.
The Prime Minister was told that during said period 41% of electricity was being produced on the expensive imported oil.
The increase in petroleum products in the international market further pushed the production costs.
The meeting was told that though the production of private power producing units generally faced a periodic decrease, yet the previous governments totally neglected this important aspect, as a result of which the government had to make payments to the power producers, which was many times high than their original production cost.
