A committee constituted by the Ministry of Water and Power under the chairmanship of Member Power Wapda to investigate countrywide electricity blackout on February 24, 2013 is yet to finalise its report but initial findings hold Distribution Companies (Discos) and Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) responsible, well informed sources told Business Recorder.
"Discos and KESC took more power than their quota from the system which led to a total blackout across the country," sources added. Official documents reveal that in actuality no one was managing the power system at that moment of disaster, while all structures built to manage loadshedding and undertake demand side measures had been disbanded by the out-going Secretary Ms Nargis Sethi on January 31, 2013.
Although the Energy Management Committee was formally disbanded through an office order, but in real terms the committee was non-functional since its reconstitution on October 9, 2012 after Ms Sethi took over the additional charge of the Ministry of Water & Power. From then onwards, the role of management of the power system became the sole responsibility of the Secretary herself and whoever was holding the charge of MD National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), sources maintained. On the basis of Ministry of Water & Power Notification No 4(257)/2012 Admn-1 of October 30, 2012 Mussadiq Ahmad Khan, Joint Secretary (on current charge basis) was required to look after the work of MD NTDC and in extension that of the National Power Control Centre (NPCC). He is now going on training for six months.
The documents further disclose that an Energy Management Committee (EMC) was constituted by Naveed Qamar, while holding the portfolio of the Water & Power Ministry in December, 2011 with the sole purpose of managing the power system on behalf of the Ministry and to assist the NTDC and the NPCC to co-ordinate with Gencos, IPPs and Discos.
Feeling that the management of the system needed further technical expertise and help, the then Minister of Water and Power constituted and formed the Energy Management Cell at the Ministry on March 30, 2012. The cell had very vast and clear terms of reference and reportedly took care of the situation in an effective manner. Thereafter, on the departure of Naveed Qamar and induction of Ahmad Mukhtar as the Minister, and on the directions of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the earlier load management committee was changed vide Notification No 1(267)/2012-A-III of July 27, 2012. The new committee comprised of Salahuddin Rafai of USAID as Convenor, Javed Parvez CEO Iesco, Ijaz Rafiq Qureshi (Retired GM Pepco) & Malik Ejaz (Retired GM NPCC). This committee did not convene in full and became ineffective very soon. According to records, the latter two officials in the committee left as they were not given any emoluments. Then the convenor Salahuddin Rafai also left for the US. This committee thus became dormant immediately on its inception. During this period the Energy Management Cell was also closed.
Eventually, vide Notification No A-III-1(267)/2012-ENC of January 31, 2013, the Energy Management Committee reconstituted by Ms Sethi on her assumption as Secretary Water & Power, was disbanded and full control of the power system came to MD NTDC and the Ministry of Water & Power. Now, Rai Sikandar, Additional Secretary Incharge Ministry of Water and Power, a close friend of Finance Minister Salim Mandviwalla has been given free hand to improve the system but "Jumma bazaar" non technical Joint Secretaries are unwilling to cooperate with him, informed sources told this scribe on condition of anonymity. Sources said most of the Joint Secretaries' who became members of Ms Sethi's team are now making serious efforts to leave the Ministry with the argument that there is no working environment in the Ministry now.
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