Treasury and opposition benches in the National Assembly (NA) have called upon the government to take concrete measures for reining in power load shedding in the country.
PPP lawmaker Naveed Qamar said transferring gas from CNG and fertiliser industry to power plants was a temporary solution. Circular debt was growing everyday and the government has paid Rs 450 billion to power houses without audit. The circular debt has now reached Rs 350 billion, he added.
Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Sahibzada Tariqullah said Bhasha dam has been inaugurated but work has not been started so far. CNG stations remain open for 24 hours to provide gas to metro bus in Lahore, he said.
MQM lawmaker Asif Hussain said the matter of Altaf Hussain’s passport has not been resolved. The government was making excuses in this regard, he said.
State Minister for Power and Water Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali said a procedure has been put in place for the person who had quit the Pakistani citizenship. The constitution should be followed, he stressed.
PML-N lawmaker Pervez Malik said energy policy was full of flaws. There was a huge gap between power supply and demand, he added.
PML-N lawmaker Shabbir Mehmood said nothing was done to end load shedding during 2008 to 2013. Campaign should be launched to educate people to conserve power, he added.
Awami Muslim League legislator Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said 130 days of parliamentary year have been completed but load shedding, gas crisis and talks with the Taliban have not met any success.
PPP lawmaker Shagufta said 18 to 20 hours of load shedding was being observed in Sindh. Around 903,087 people have been caught in Punjab on the charges of power pilferage but no action has been taken against them.
