FAISALABAD - Federal Minister for Energy Engineer Khurram Dastgir said on Friday that work was in full swing on an emergency basis for rehabilitation of the power sector and to cope with the current situation, being faced by the sector.
During his visit to FESCO Headquarters here, he hoped that receiving of RLNG [Regassified Liquified National Gas] supply would not only improve the power supply in the country but also help overcome the power crisis. Former MNA Haji Muhammad Akram Ansari also accompanied the minister.
He said that after the supply of RLNG and furnace oil from the Ministry of Petroleum, more gas would be available which would significantly reduce load-shedding period during the next few days. He expressed satisfaction on overall performance of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) and said that in view of the current situation, the company officers and officials would have to work harder, diligently and enthusiastically so that not only FESCO but also the power sector could overcome the difficult situation.
The minister said that due to wrong policies of the former government, the current government had to face the day and load-shedding was taking place across the country due to shortage of electricity. Due to unavailability of fuel, power was not being generated as per demand and as a result, consumers were facing load management, he added. Khurram Dastgir said that the coalition government was trying its best to solve the problems being confronted by the public. He said that revenue targets of all distribution companies were also being reviewed. “We are the public representatives and our aim is to resolve the grievances of the distribution companies and to improve their performance,” he said.
He said that at present, the circular debt is about Rs 2,450 billion. When the PML-N left the government in 2018, the circular debt was only Rs 1,060 billion and at that time, the load-shedding was zero, but at present, the circular debt had doubled.
He said that an increase in temperatures was also likely to increase hydropower generation. He said that there was no balance in affairs of the previous government; had there been a balance, these problems would have not come up. He said the present government is fully aware of the plight of people and is working to alleviate it.
Earlier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) FESCO, Engr. Bashir Ahmed briefed the minister and stated that FESCO’s recovery is 100% while its line losses are the lowest. He said that FESCO’s distribution system had been upgraded and now FESCO’s distribution system was able to carry maximum load during the summer season.
He further said that FESCO had provided 256 transformer trolleys in all the subdivisions with the aim of restoring power supply immediately in case of any fault in the transformer.
He said that FESCO had set up a state-of-the-art Customer Service Center for instant solution of consumer electricity related issues. Similarly, FESCO has introduced a mobile app “FESCO Light” for online information and registration of consumers’ complaints, he added.