ISLAMABAD: Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar has vowed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)-led federal government will improve the Karachi power distribution system in record time.
Speaking on the National Assembly floor, Asad Umar asserted that the main reason behind increased load shedding was the lack of a proper transmission and distribution system.
Referring to the reasons, he said that Karachi’s power needs to be kept increasing over time but previous governments did not take any step in this regard nor a system was create to import electricity from elsewhere in the country.
The federal minister criticized Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for the weak distribution and transmission system. “The previous governments didn’t take such steps that are being taken now,” he added.
Asad Umar informed that the cabinet committee on energy summoned officials from KE, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), and the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC). “Agreements were made and implementation will be done in record time,” he assured.
Commenting on the privatization of K-Electric, Asad Umar informed that the company was privatized during the PML-Q government. “PPP is giving the impression that the power utility had been privatized during the PTI government,” he added.
PPP’s Agha Rafiullah said that despite the federal government’s promises the people of Karachi were still suffering. “The PTI members have been staging a protest outside the KE office. Whose government is it in the country?” he questioned.
Responding to the comments, the energy minister Omar Ayub said that the federal government had forced KE to build a proper power distribution system.
Omar Ayub said, “We are giving 100MW from our national grid. It was the previous government’s responsibility to make a system so we could give electricity through the national grid but they did not give attention to it.”
Commenting on Rafiullah’s comments about PTI’s protest, the energy minister said that they were protesting for the people of their constituency.
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