KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his government was ready to take Hyderabad Electric Supply Company and Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) subject to the condition that the federal government would continue its power subsidy for next five years.

This he said while talking to the media just after inaugurating Diagnostic Complex and Dow Institute of Life Sciences at Ojha Campus. He was accompanied by Parliamentary secretary on Health Qasim Siraj Soomro.

Replying to a question, the chief minister said that the HESCO and SEPCO were power distribution companies running in heavy losses. “I had written a letter to the prime minister much earlier and had requested him to handover both the companies to the Sindh government on the condition to continue the subsidy, whatever the federal government was giving to them,” he said and added, he wanted the subsidy to continue for next five years so that we could bring them back to the rack.

He disclosed that a Chinese government company was in contact with the provincial government to run the HESCO and SEPCO in partnership with the Sindh government. “I don’t know what decision the federal government has taken about handing over power distribution companies to his government,” he said.

To another question about federal Minister Ali Zaidi, Murad Ali Shah said that he was a responsible person and would not play on the issue in the media. “My letter was confidential and couldn’t understand how it was leaked to the media,” he questioned.

The CM said that the chief minister was not responsible to any person, including to the prime minister except to the provincial assembly. “My answer may not be taken as negative but as a matter of fact the chief minister was only responsible to the provincial assembly,” he said.

Talking about Covid-19 vaccine, Shah said that he has written a letter to the federal government with the request to grant him permission to purchase the vaccine directly from China. ‘Being a provincial government I am not authorised to purchase anything directly from another country,” he said.

Earlier, the chief minister visited the Institute of Life Saving Sciences and Diagnostic Complex just after inaugurating them.

The VC Dow University of Health Sciences, Dr Saeed Qureshi in his welcome speech said that he was short of Rs100 million to make the diagnostic facilities completely functional. AT this the chief minister announced to provide him Rs100 million if he was going to complete the facility by June 30. Saeed Qureshi gave his happy consent among the clapping of the staff and guests present on the occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021