MULTAN
Chief Executive Officer Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) Muzaffar Ali Abbasi disclosed on Friday that Independent grid stations and feeders would be established for the Industrial zones and Estates in Mepco region.
Addressing the executive committee of Multan Chamber of Commerce chaired by Mian Iqbal Hassan its President, Muzaffar Ali Abbasi said that 13 million consumers of Multan region faced loadshedding due to crumbling system, adding that system would be upgraded to improve power supply system. He further disclosed that 500-km-long Aerial Bundle Cable(ABC) would be laid in the walled city of Multan to avert the mishaps in the narrow streets in future. This cable is water proof and fire proof and it would also help in minimising the line losses and power theft. Assuring the business community, he declared that their power loadshedding programme in business areas would be finalized with mutual consultation. The Mepco CEO disclosed that camera reading was introduced in 16 sub division of Multan and now consumers would get their bills with scanned meter reading from next month. He said that this system would eliminate complaints of incorrect or ficticious reading. He admitted that Mepco could not provide new connections to the seekers in spite of receiving Rs1000 million from them. He assured that all pending applications would be cleared till December 31st,2014. He said that the Mepco was the second largest distribution company after Karachi which was supplying electricity to more than 33 million population and its consumers were 5 million. He further said that 400 out of 1039 feeders were overloaded. Of them 105 were improved so that these could continue the power supply to their consumers. He said that the Mepco had allocated Rs2,000 million for the development works including 125 new feeders,85 high powered transformers and ten new circuits. While two workshops were being developed in Vehari and Bahawalpur for reclamation of 2,600 transformers. He said that 1,800 transformers were replaced in Multan since the inception of his charge in Mepco. While there was a provision of replacement of 500,000 meters, 35,000 smart meters were being placed with the assistance of USAID and 100,000 meters would be purchased by the Mepco. On the demand of Chamber, the CEO appointed Engineer Shahid Hameed Superintending Engineer as focal person to listen the complaints of industrialists, traders etc fortnightly in Multan chamber. He said that Mepco was the only distribution company where recovery was 100 percent and its consumers deserve all facilities available in the country.
Earlier Mian Iqbal Hassan said in his welcome address that manufacturing sector must be exempted of load shedding and SMEs and agricultural sector should be ensured for regular and uninterrupted power supply once a day. He further said that Government should purchase electricity from Sugar mills during crushing season and it may reduce 15 to 20 percent load shedding. He said that all power generating units owned by Wapda are lying closed for a long time and these units can help in minimising the loadshedding if the modern technology be adopted and machinery be replaced. He also demanded that Wapda should allow the consumers to get repair their transformers from private workshops. Khawaja Muhammad Yousaf, Khawaja Muhammad Farooq, Jahangir Jamil Khan SVP also took part in discussion.