Privileged class to pay more in new energy policy: Khawaja Asif

Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif on Thursday said that power tariff for the privileged class would be raised soon and supply of gas to CNG stations would be curtailed. Addressing a conference on energy reforms organised by IESCO, the minister said that supply of cheap gas to fertilizer factories had also been stopped. He said negotiations were underway for the import of 2000MW of electricity from India. He said Pakistan was the only country which generated 50 percent of electricity through furnace oil. He said this would be converted to coal and other sources in the next two years. Moreover, he said that countries like China and India were generating electricity through hydel, coal and other resources.
The minister expressed his anger that power collection of an ordinary consumer was disconnected if he did not pay dues for one month whereas defaulters of big companies and institutions were not being punished and continued to get the electricity. Similarly, load shedding was not being implemented in feeders where members of board of distribution companies resided.
He said power subsidy was being enjoyed by those using 100 units and 1000 units but now the subsidy would be given to poor people only.
Khawaja Mohammad Asif said massive crimes were committed in the last 14 years in the power sector. Rental Power Plants project was launched to pocket billions of rupees for which he had to knock the door of the Supreme Court. He said a number of people were coming to him for giving suggestions, some of which were good while others had their own designs.
He said annual corruption of Rs 207 billion was taking place in Pakistan in energy sector alone. He did not agree with estimates that power companies were suffering losses of 2.2 percent and said these were much higher. He said people did not get response on 118 helpline as nobody picked up the telephone.
Khawaja Asif said on June 16, he received fifty calls from Karachi and Punjab after which their complaints were addressed.
The Water and Power minister said an end to energy crisis was essential for the security of the country and the prime minister would announce the energy policy in the next 15 days.
He said a policy would soon be introduced to close markets at 8:00 PM to conserve electricity, gas would be provided to sectors where it is more required.
“The electricity crisis is like a patient who is still in the ICU and efforts were on to shift it from ICU to ward and then bring him back home” the minister remarked.