Multan-State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali declared on Tuesday that 2,000 megawatt electricity will be added to national grid by the end of May but the duration of loadshedding will still stay between six to eight hours during this summer.
Talking to the journalists here at Mepco headquarters, he added that the incumbent government had so far added 2,250 megawatts to the system and the total power production would stand at 18,000 megawatts compared to 16,000 megawatts produced during the corresponding period last year.
He announced that the power supply to the feeders with the ratio of line losses between 97 to 99 per cent would be suspended as the power pilferers usurped the rights of those consumers who paid their bills. He said that Pesco would save Rs1.5 billion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by shutting down 13 high losses feeders. He directed the Mepco officials to distribute the load of overloaded feeders within two months. He said that all the heads of distribution companies were issued directions to pursue the recovery cases in courts for recovery of sunk amounts worth billions. He said that the cooperation of the provincial governments would be sought to save the electricity by closing of markets and bazaars earlier.
Earlier, the minister suspended three and transferred two XENs of Multan Electric and Power Company (Mepco) on different charges. He said that the Mepco officials were suspended and transferred over the violation of departmental rules and regulations, poor performance and increase in line losses in their respective areas.
The suspended XENs included XEN Musa Pak Division Malik Mushtaq Ahmad Athangal, XEN Kabirwala Division Muhammad Iqbal Pahur and XEN Dera Ghazi Khan Division Maher Khuda Bakhsh while XEN Shujabad Division Rahim Bakhsh Sial and XEN Lodhran Division Rana Muhammad Ayub were transferred to Mepco Headquarter and Kabirwala Division respectively.
He directed the authorities concerned to suspend all those officers, who were either involved in helping power thieves or they failed in achieving recovery targets or line losses increased in their areas. He warned the officers of Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Vehari and Mailsi to improve their performance within a month.