Control over power generation in G-B, AJK Senate panel asks Nepra to devise policy

The Senate standing committee on Cabinet Secretariat Tuesday asked National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to devise a policy to bring electricity generation in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir under its control. The committee met here on Tuesday with Senator Talha Mehmood in the chair to devise a policy to bring power generation in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir under NEPRA.
NEPRA chairman Brigadier Tariq Saddozai (Retd) briefed the committee about role, responsibilities and functions of the NEPRA. He said for expediting tariff determination, upfront tariffs have been announced by the authority. He said that applicants desirous for upfront tariff are being given approvals within 10 days contrary to the eight months period indicated in the tariff standards and procedure rules 1998.
Saddozai said that the authority develops a regulatory framework to ensure affordable electric power to the electricity consumers. He said that the authority grants licenses for generation, transmission and distribution of electric power. He said that NEPRA determines tariff, rates, charges and other terms and conditions for supply of electric power.
Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr Ismail Shah informed committee members that different cellular companies had issued 215 million mobiles (Subscriber Identity Module) SIMs in the past. He said that after biometric verification of SIMs, the total number of verified SIMs is about 115 million. Dr Ismail informed the committee members that Afghanistan had installed powerful towers near the border area. For this reason, SIMs are used at Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
He said that he held negotiations with Afghan security agencies and they promised to reduce influence of towers installed in Afghan territory. He said that majority of the cellular companies except Telenor are going in loss. On this, the committee members asked the PTA chairman if cellular companies were going in loss then how these companies are operating so far. Cabinet Secretary Raja Hassan Abbas informed the committee members about the criteria and procedure for awarding the civil and gallantry awards.
He said that every year cabinet division invites recommendations from the provincial as well as federals ministries to confer these awards. The secretary informed the committee that after receiving recommendations, two different committees scrutinize these recommendations and then forward them to the main awards committee. He said that the recommendations finalised by the main awards committee are submitted to Prime Minister for their approval.
An official of Capital Development Authority (CDA) briefed the committee members regarding the petitions filed by the citizens of Islamabad. He informed the committee members that the authority had acquired the possession of sector D-12/2 and it will also acquire the possession of remaining sector within next six months. Senator Saifullah Khan said that the CDA has allotted 280 plots to influential persons. The committee members expressed concerns on the CDA drive and directed the authority to submit a detailed report before the committee in this regard. Senator Shah Syed, Hidayat Ullah, Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini, senior officials of cabinet division, CDA and PTA also attended the meeting.