Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday directed the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) authorities to take immediate action to ensure an uninterrupted power supply through out the province.
During a high-level meeting at the Governor House, the Governor emphasized the need for a clear distinction between paying and non-paying consumers and called for a comprehensive strategy to address electricity theft and improve recovery.
He stressed that the public should not face unnecessary hardships and that providing relief to them is a shared responsibility.
The meeting was attended by provincial assembly members Ahmad Karim Kundi, Arbab Zarak Khan, Chief Pesco Engineer Akhtar Hameed Khan, Chief Engineer Planning Kashif Karim, Chief Engineer Gohar Rehman, Zubair Khan, Chief Technical Officer Habib Rehman Marwat, and other Pesco officials.
Pesco authorities provided a detailed briefing to the Governor regarding electricity consumption, production capacity, number of electricity consumers, load shedding duration, and line losses in all districts of the province.
The meeting was informed that there are a total of 82 feeders in Dera Ismail Khan, with 12 to 14 hours of load shedding in City 1 and City 2, while other feeders in Daraban, Kulachi, CRBC, Gomal, and others face 12 to 20 hours of load shedding.
Pesco officials also informed that in Dera Ismail Khan, a 23 MW Band Korai Grid Station has been completed at a cost of 400 million rupees, and a 72 MW 132 kV Dera Ismail Khan 2 Grid Station at a cost of 700 million rupees. Additionally, 9 grid stations ranging from 11 MW to 72 MW have been completed in other districts including Karak, Mardan, Swabi, Chitral, and Haripur.
Regarding load shedding, the Chief Pesco said that in all districts, including Peshawar, load shedding is carried out as per the schedule issued by the central office.
During the meeting, the Governor emphasized that while departmental matters are important, Wapda must also be mindful of the hardships faced by the public.
“In no case can the public be allowed to suffer,” he said. “Providing relief to the public is a shared responsibility for both you and us.”
The Governor further directed Pesco to formulate a policy that distinguishes between consumers who pay their bills and those who do not.
He also stressed the need for a comprehensive plan to bring areas with electricity theft into the system, ensuring not only recovery in these areas but also an uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers there.
