A consortium of Daewoo and Hyundai companies inked an agreement of US$ 45 million with Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) to construct seven new grid stations. Daewoo Senior Vice President Biong and Hyundai Chief Executive Officer Dong Wook Kim, on behalf of the consortium, and GEPCO Chief Executive Muhammad Ibrahim Majoka signed the agreement at a special ceremony held at the GEPCO headquarters.
Ibrahim Majoka said the GEPCO had been distributing electricity among more than 2.5 million consumers of the six districts of the division through 49 grid stations with the line losses of 11 percent and unprecedented 100 percent recovery ratio. He added seven new grid stations of 132-KV capacity would be constructed at an estimated cost of US$ 36 million which would enhance the system’s capacity to 468 megawatts.
Dong Wook Kim said Hyundai had a vast global experience in transmission and distribution networks and had already extended its valuable services to Philippines, Malaysia and Pakistan. He hoped the consortium would prove itself a trusted and performance-oriented partner of the GEPCO. Biong said his company established its first office in Pakistan in 1978 and successfully completed Lahore-Islamabad Motorway.
He further said Daewoo Bus Service, a joint venture with PEL to manufacture television, paper and power plants, are the other projects of the company in Pakistan. He hoped the GEPCO would benefit from the experience of the consortium and enhance its capacity in the years to come.
TWO DIE, 10 INJURED IN ACCIDENT: At least two passengers lost their lives while 10 others sustained injuries in separate road accidents in the suburban areas of the city. In the first incident, the tyre of a passenger van burst on GT Road near Aimanabad. As a result, the van driver, Ashiq Hussain of Pakpattan, died instantly while Arshad and Muqaddas got serious injuries.
In the second incident, a motorcyclist was killed and a car driver injured after the speedy car hit the motorcyclist. In the third incident, Inayat, Sher Muhammad, Iqbal, Ramzan, Murtaza and Saleem were seriously injured after a collision between two vehicles on GT Road near Gakhar.
DRUGS, WEAPONS SEIZED: The city, sadar and civil lines police have seized a large quantity of illicit weapons and narcotics at a special campaign launched on the directions of City Police Officer (CPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar. As per details, these three divisions seized 39 kalashnikovs, six hand grenades, 96 rifles, 100 guns, 1,035 pistols, 19 carbines and 38,000 cartridges while eight kilograms of heroin, 447 kilograms of charas, 27 kilograms of opium and 9,300 bottles of liquor in the operation.
As many as 19 proclaimed offenders and 23 court absconders were also arrested while six cases were lodged for providing shelter to these criminals.
CAR SNATCHED, MOTORCYCLE STOLEN: A car and a motorcycle were snatched from Model Town and Khiali areas in separate incidents. In the first incident, two youths on a motorcycle stopped Muhammad Asghar, snatched his car from him at gunpoint and fled away. In the second incident, a motorcycle was stolen from Sheikhupura Road.
WOMAN’S BEHEADED BODY FOUND: Aroop police found the beheaded body of a woman from Upper Chenab Canal and, later, buried it in a local graveyard after failing to identify it. The police said someone beheaded the woman’s body and also cut her one leg before throwing it into the canal.