| GEO Pakistan | | Govt. reiterates pledge to overcome power crisis | Updated at: 0312 PST, Wednesday, September 02, 2009
 MULTAN: Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said on Tuesday that the democratically elected PPP-led government has again boldly accepted the challenge of loadshedding and will solve it in due course of time.
While addressing a meeting of PPP MNAs, MPAs, and office bearers of South Punjab at the Mepco headquarters, he said that the country’s national grid’s existing capacity was due to the agreements made during the tenure of martyred PPP leader Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, says a release issued by Mepco spokesman on Tuesday.
Country’s electricity demand was rising at the rate 8-10 per cent per annum, however, the previous regime had totally ignored the situation and did not add even a single megawatt of power during last twelve years, the minister said.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that various projects of power are being executed in Multan under PM development package.
He said first 25 solar energy tubewells will be installed in Multan as government is focusing a lot in this direction in South Punjab.
The minister said government has given approval of Rs1 billion for the installation of three grid stations in Multan.
The minister disclosed that agreements contracted with China will provide 9000 megawatt electricity and it will be enough to provide relief to people as this will surely lower electricity tariff.
He said government will provide electricity free of cost to farmers in future as per its manifesto.
On this occasion, local PPP representatives including MNAs Nawab Hayat Ullah Tareen, Iftikhar Nazeer, MPAs Dr Akhtar Malik, Naveed Aslam, Mehr Arshad Sial, Javed Akbar, Javed Hussain Gujjar, Mian Aamir Ghani, Rana Ejaz Noon, coordinator Mepco/member federal council Khawaja Rizwan Aalam were also present. |  |
|
