He said that it is part of his ministry's policy to find out off-grid solutions for far-flung and remote areas of the country. The minister said that around 93 percent meter reading across the country is done through mobile phones to ensure proper reading and billing to the consumers. He also claimed that load-shedding across the country has reduced to just two hours and that's why the amount of the monthly bills has also increased.
Five new grid stations of 220KV are being established in different cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Dera Ismail Khan, Nowshera and Chakdara, to provide smooth electricity to these areas, he said. The minister sought cooperation of the members to resolve their genuine issues in their respective constituencies and also offered them a meeting with senior officials of the Power Ministry.
Earlier speaking on the motion, Sher Akbar Khan said that the government had announced not to observe load-shedding in the areas where recovery of the bills is hundred percent, but this is not being honored in his constituency. He said that it is unfair to consumers of his constituency that they pay hundred percent bills and get electricity only for a few hours a day.
Malik Ibrar, PML-N member, also complained about excessive billing of electricity and urged the minister to look into the issue at the earliest. Sajid Khan, PTI member, suggested the minister to waive off all the pending dues of poor consumers in his constituency because they cannot pay them.
He said that he is willing to cooperate with the ministry to install new electricity meters in all houses of his constituency who have been getting electricity through kunda (hook) system. PPP member Abdul Sattar Bachani, however, suggested that the prime minister should chair a meeting every week to check performance of the Power Ministry and situation of load-shedding in the country.
Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi said that his office will coordinate with the members to decide a unanimous rendezvous for their meeting with the senior officials of the Power Ministry to get their genuine problems addressed.
The House also passed the "Criminal Law (amendment) Bill, 2014" while five other private member bills were referred to the relevant standing committees for further discussion. The bills include: "The Controller General of Accounts (Appointment, Functions and Powers) (Amendment) Bill, 2017;" "Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2017;" "The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2017;" "The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2017 (Amendment in Article 198);" and "The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2017 (amendment in Article 25-A)."
The House also passed five separate resolutions regarding manufacturing of spurious drugs in the country, constructions of new small dams, to do away with gas load-shedding, and establishment of new hospitals in the federal capital.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017