National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) Chairman Lieutenant General Saeed-uz-Zafar (Retd) on Thursday called on the NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani here at the Chief Minister's Secretariat, Peshawar.
Deputy secretary irrigation and other high officials were also present on the occasion. Several issues related to hydel projects in NWFP and people's complaints were discussed in the meeting.
The chief minister said that Malakand-III project would be completed in 2005 and terms and conditions for the project should be finalised soon. The project would produce 81-megawatt electricity and it will be provided to units of industrial village on concessional rates.
During the meeting agreement on utilisation of electricity of the project was also discussed.
The chief minister said that work on terms and conditions of the agreement should be accelerated.
The chief minister said that frontier province has the potential for electricity production in NWFP and the MMA government is providing facilities to foreign investors to exploit these resources.
Exemplary law and order attracting investors to the frontier province, however, he said, the investors have apprehensions about complications involved in investment in the power sector and it is need of the hour to remove these apprehensions.
The chief minister said that in the past, the NWFP was allowed to construct a project worth Rs 200 million, now this limit has been increased up to Rs one billion. He said there are opportunities for investment in tourism, agriculture and mineral sectors and the MMA government will encourage investors.
Referring to net hydle profit, the chief minister said that center is only guarantor between Wapda and NWFP government and efforts should be accelerated for amicable solution of the issue.
On the occasion, the chief minister was informed that after privatisation process of Wapda in 1992, different companies have been assigned responsibilities.
Power distribution and revenue collection is the responsibility of another company while Wapda only supervise hydle generation. He was further informed that transformers will be installed and repaired and people complaints will be removed.