Load shedding ends, once again
07 February, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The power-starved country received a good news in the Lower House of Parliament on Monday when Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar announced that there would be no electricity load shedding across the country from today (Tuesday). The minister announced on the floor of the National Assembly when during the question hour session he was responding to questions of the members of the House, which could not take up the 20th Constitutional Amendment bill. The bill seeks to give legal cover to the elected members succeeded in by-polls because of a deadlock in talks between treasury and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to reach on agreement Replying to a question of a member, Qamar said that they were also elected members of the House and were answerable to the people of their constituencies. He said that tariff had been renationalised and the government was implementing many recommendations of "integrated energy sector recovery report and plan". To a question about value and volume of line losses and inefficiency in recovering electricity cost, the minister said that average loss of 21.1 percent i.e. volume 17,415 million KWh and amounting to Rs 137 billion was incurred in 2008-09, 20.9 percent loss, volume 18,194 million kWh, amounting to Rs 164 billion in 2009-10 while 20.7 percent, volume 18,735 million kWh and amounting to Rs 172 billion in 2010-11. He said that average of electricity bills was 97 percent in 2008-09, 105 percent recovery in 2009-10 and 90 percent in 2010-11. The minister said that presently, Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) is being made on monthly basis, wherein actual variation is passed on to the user of electricity for each relevant month. No new additional fuel adjustment surcharge has been introduced, he said. Answering to a written reply, the minister said that the losses to technical limit determined by NEPRA were only charged to the consumers. He added that the losses over and above the losses allowed by NEPRA were not charged. He said that present the government has taken measures and is striving to provide electricity on affordable rates. The minister said that federal government had levied Neelum-Jhelum surcharge at the rate of Rs 0.10/Kwh w.e.f January 1, 2008 till December 31, 2015 on the consumption of electricity by every category of electricity consumers except the lifeline consumers of category Residential A-1. The amount collected is deposited in the account of Neelum Jhelum hydro development fund, he said. Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the House that enemy hand is involved in Balochistan violence and urged that the killing of 60 personnel of the FC in last 30 days should be condemned. "The personnel of FC are protecting us and their killing should be condemned in the strongest terms," Malik said when he spoke about the killing of the wife and daughter of MPA Mir Bakhtiar Domki by condemning the heinous act. The House was told that procurement of raw materials caused Pakistan Steel Mills to heavy losses; however, government was making untiring efforts to overcome losses. End.
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