80pc electricity feeders cleared of load management: Omar

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan Thursday said due to effective strategy, the government had managed to clear 80 percent electricity feeders of load management.

“There are around 8,789 feeders across the country, out of which 80 percent have been cleared of load management,” he said while addressing a news conference along with Special Assistants to Prime Ministers Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and Nadeem Babar.

He said around 1,200 feeders including of Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, Hyderabad and Sukkur circles were yet to be cleared of the load management.

He said there were complaints of ‘transformer mafia’ operating in different circles to replace installed transformers with repaired or new ones, remove copper wires from the faulty item, and repair them for further utilization.

The minister said action was being taken against the mafia and warned electricity departments’ staff of stern action, if they were found involved in any illegal activities.

Omar Ayub said a briefing on the Power Division would be arranged for media in the coming days to share the measures taken to improve efficiency of the power sector.

Besides, he said, there would be a series of briefings from ministries, divisions and departments about the corrective measures adopted as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to attract investors in diverse fields.

He said the government had introduced the ‘ease-of-doing-business’ strategy to give a boom to industrial and trade activities in the country and put the national economy on sustainable path of development.

Answering a question about electricity rate, the minister said fuel adjustment charges would be determined as per international market practice.

Commenting on the utility bills' installments, he said it was the domain of respective superintendent, engineer, sub divisional officer and Xen to decide the requests of billing installments.