As many as 2,500 villages of Balochistan province will be electrified on priority basis during the next two years. Wapda sources told APP here on Friday that the existing two-year target of providing electricity to 1600 villages would be achieved before the end of the current fiscal year.
Quetta Electricity Supply Company (Qesco) Chief Executive Brigadier Tassaduq Hussain has directed the SE /Director Construction Circle to ensure the completion of village electrification by the end of June.
Four new grid stations will be established at Gwadar port. That will meet the increasing demand of power required for the completion of developmental projects, sources explained. A 70-km long 220 kV power transmission line will also be set up alongside the port with a cost of rupees two billion, the sources added.
They further stated that defaulters in Balochistan province owed rupees five billion to Qesco, which included arrears against disconnected agricultural tube-wells. About 1600 tube-wells were stealing power from live transmission lines of Qesco thus causing a total loss annually equivalent to 35 megawatt costing rupees 700 million.
All the defaulters have been warned to clear their dues within stipulated period otherwise strict action will be taken against them to realise the arrears under land revenue act, said Qesco sources.
It may been noted that Makran Division is not linked with the national transmission system as electricity to the villages of Turbat, Mand and Thump areas is being supplied after importing it from Iran. Another eight villages near Jewani will be electrified through Iranian power.