'Volume of power sector circular debt rises to Rs 1.7 trillion'

Pakistan Engineering Council Chairman Engineer Jawed Salim Qureshi claimed on Monday that the volume of power sector circular debt has risen to about Rs1.7 trillion which is a potential threat to the country's economy and power sector.

While addressing a press conference along with President Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) Engineer Javaid Yunas Upal, Secretary General IEP Engineer Ameer Zamir Ahmed Khan and President Young Engineers Council Syed Jawad Haider Gillani Qureshi said that there was no load shedding in the country, industry and agriculture was progressing when professional people were heading the important organizations such as the Water and Power Development Authority.

He demanded that the government should appoint engineers for running the technical institutions like India. He said bureaucracy was responsible for the poor economic conditions of the country. He said a person who had the experience of working on the administrative job was not capable of running a technical department. He was of the view that reason behind the destruction of industrial sector and agricultural sector was the appointment of non-professional people.

The Chairman PEC demanded that the government should immediately announce service structure for the engineers and appoint professional people on technical posts. He said that engineers remained in 17 and 18 grades for 15 to 18 years and retired in grade 19. Despite the fact that they were capable they were not promoted to grade 21 and 22.

He also demanded that technical allowance should be given to engineers working in Federal Government, Sindh and Balochistan as it was given to the engineers of KP and Punjab. Qureshi further demanded that the government should announce a scheme like National Development Volunteer Programme (NDVP) which was announced by former Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to give jobs to 50, 000 unemployed young engineers. He said the government should recruit young engineers as internees in government departments relating to engineering sector.

Secretary General IEP Engineer Ameer Zamir Ahmed Khan demanded that the government should restore the Prime Minister Intern programme of the previous government in which 20,000 engineers were recruited as internees in different government departments.