The government has kicked off the process of privatization of power distribution companies in the country following failed experience of privatization of the Karachi Electric Supply Company.
The process of privatization of Gujranwala Electricity Power Company (GEPCO) has started in the first phase while the Privatization Commission (PC) has solicited technical and financial proposals from the private companies till March 9 in connection with privatization of GEPCO.
GEPCO is supplying electricity to 28,69,000 consumers presently in the areas of Gujranwala, Hafiz Abad, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and Mandi Baha-ud-Din.
The government and the ministry of water and power had assured the employees that no privatization process would be started without taking them into confidence but this process has been launched in haste against the will of employees as no steps had been taken by the government for allaying the concerns of the employees on the issue of massive retrenchment.
Giving his stance on privatization of GEPCO, Zafaryab, the spokesman of ministry of water and power told Online that the PC had started privatization process and the ministry of water and power had nothing to do with it. However, the ministry would initiate steps for removing the apprehensions of the employees, he added.
When asked as to why the government was privatizing other companies after its failure in the experiment of privatization of K Electricity Supply Company, he said this was the federal government’s decision and he had no comments to offer in this regard.
