ISLAMABAD - Various government, semi-government departments and private companies owe approximately Rs 22,235 million to WAPDA in the form of outstanding dues, the Ministry of Water and Power told the Senate on Wednesday. In a written reply, the ministry told the Upper House that WAPDA had to recover Rs 21, 902.000 million from different government, semi-government departments. According to data presented in the Upper House, oil and gas companies owe Rs 5.682 million, banks 16.035 million, financial institutions 0.2mto WAPDA while other big companies have to pay power bills of Rs 312.97m. The ministry also told the Senate that out of Rs 312.97 million of big companies, Rs 300.35 million was due to court cases filed by the companies against tariffs plus withholding tax. The ministry further told the House that the government had launched special recovery campaign and formed teams at sub-divisional, divisional and circle levels to recover the amount. The government is also monitoring the payment of big consumers on the due date while it was also giving incentives by waiving off late payment surcharge to the government defaulting departments, if they cleared the outstanding dues up to June 30 of each year, the ministry further replied to a question raised Prof Khurshid Ahmed. The Senate was also informed that the government was actively pursuing the development of renewable energy resources for power generation to overcome the electricity crisis. Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf informed the House that the private sector was being facilitated in the development of wind power projects. He said that the first ever wind mill project had been inaugurated and such other twenty-two projects would be launched that would produce 1200mw electricity in the national energy reserves within next two years. He said that Alternate Energy Development Board was working for the development of a 50mw solar thermal power project. He said that pilot project of converting the electricity run tube wells into solar energy pumps had been initiated with World Banks assistance to cope with energy crisis. He said the project would be completed with the cost of 250 million dollars. The minister further said that eight micro hydro projects having a cumulative capacity of 80mw had also been initiated in Punjab and the NWFP. He said that at present there was a gap of 999mw of electricity between supply and demand as compared to 2600mw of the previous year, which showed the efforts of the government made to enhance the power generating capacity to overcome the problem of loadshedding. The Minister for Water and Power further said that the project providing electricity to border areas of Pak-Iran had been initiated in 2008 which was to be completed within six months but could not be completed in the stipulated time adding that it needed another Rs 113 million for its completion. To another question, he said the previous government had privatised the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and KESC had started up-gradation for provision of power on time. Answering another question, the Senate was informed by the Religious Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi that Hajj Policy for the forthcoming Hajj would be presented soon before the cabinet for approval. The federal minister further said that Hajj quota for members of the Parliament could not be increased. The parliamentarians want increase in their quota from 10 to 50 people, which, has been rejected, he added. Kazmi warned the tour operators that their licenses would be cancelled if the ministry received any complaints against them. Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi also said that tour operators had been categorised in the Hajj Policy under which they would be allotted quotas. To another question, the minister said that during the last financial year, 4.68 billion rupees had been disbursed from Zakat Fund among the deserving people. The Minister for Housing and Works Rehmat Ullah Kakar told the House that the project of Islamabad University had been introduced in 1995 and its restoration was not under consideration. He said the case was pending in Lahore High Court and affectees would be compensated in the light of the courts verdict.