Electricity shortfall: KP receiving 1700MW against demand of 3300MW: Amir Muqam

PESHAWAR: Advisor to Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam while commenting on excessive electricity loadshedding, which he termed as a collective issue of the whole country, said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is receiving 1700 megawatt against its total demand of 3300 megawatt

Electricity demand in KP has increased by 35 percent as compared to previous year, he added.

Addressing a news conference here on Friday he said that it is highly unfortunate that there is a huge difference between demand and supply. He expressed hope the electricity loadshedding would be reduced in July, next month.

KP was producing 6000MW hydel electricity last year, which has been reduced to 4000MW, Amir Muqam elaborated. He added that KP has generated 2000MW less hydel power owing to lack of sufficient rains in the province.

Flanked by former federal minister, Sardar Yousaf, MPA Ikhtiyar Wali Khan, Sobia Khan and others, the PM aide said the pace of glacier melting is very slow and has created water shortages. Number of power plants are out of order, efforts are being made to revive them, he added. He expressed hope the issue of electricity loadshedding will be resolved in July.

Amir Muqam who is also Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial president, asked the KP government how much electricity had been added to the national grid in the past few years.

We will never compromise on the rights of the KP province, he vowed.

The PM aide said KP is receiving due share on the head of Net Hydel Profit (NHP) and we categorically reject any politics on this matter, he added.

He said improvement has been seen in the power supply system over the past two days.

Amir Muqam apologised to people for the fuel price hike, saying that it is happening as a result of the agreements made with the IMF by the previous PTI government. If the present government didn’t fulfil commitments that were made under agreements with the IMF, then the whole system of the country would be grounded, Amir Muqam warned.

He said whatever initiatives were made, all of them have become obligatory under the prevailing circumstances.

Criticising the previous government, Amir Muqam said the incumbent coalition government is removing financial land mines that were laid by the former PM Imran Khan led government. He said that the coalition government had tried its best to provide possible relief to the people despite the financial difficulties created by the PTI.

Muqam appreciated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had worked day and night in the first two month of the present coalition government.

The recent visit of PM Shehbaz to Rashakai Special Economic Zone was a message to the People’s Republic of China that we stand with them, he said.

The PM aide said former prime minister Imran Khan had addressed sensational speeches. Imran Khan always talked about putting all of them behind bars, he added.

He demanded an inquiry over the occurrence of fire incidents on mountain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He informed 900megawatt will be received from Port Qasim power plant.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022