Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) owes Rs 1.9 billion to the power distribution companies, said Advisor to the Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim in the Lower House here on Thursday. He was responding to a calling attention notice raised by the members of the National Assembly Syed Asif Husnain, Abdul Rashid Godil, Sufyan Yusuf, and Imrana Saeed Jamil.
He said that during winter, the overall supply of gas to the power producer companies got reduced. So, these companies were already notified to switch over to the furnace oil. "The KESC was provided 87 MMCF gas in October and the total shortfall in supply of gas was 1.2 MMCF", the Advisor said. On another calling attention notice, Asiya Nasir said that non-release of funds to the only Women University of Balochistan by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) was causing grave concern among the students and the people.
Responding to the notice, Minister for Education Hazar Khan Bijarani said that Rs 25 million were lying unutilised with the administration of Sardar Bahaudar Khan Women University. He said the delay in release of funds during current fiscal year was caused due to financial crunch in the country; however, an amount of Rs 70 million was released during the first quarter of the current fiscal year and Rs 4.42 million in the second quarter.
The rest of the funds would be released to the university before December 30 and the development projects would be completed within the stipulated time, he added. He confirmed that due to non-release of funds, the administration of the university had increased the university fee, including admission and transportation charges.
He said that the government was fully determined to promote female education and the ministry would try its best to solve the problem by discussing the issue with the provincial government. The minister said that Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shehnaz Wazir Ali was looking after the HEC''s affairs, however, the Chairman and the members of the commission would soon be appointed. The minister said that the government would also take steps to open a University in Fata.
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