Govt accepts failure in power crisis, loadshedding to come under control in a week: Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD - Accepting failure to overcome loadshedding crisis, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif has announced that the current power crisis will be overcome in the next eight to ten days.

Responding to a calling attention notice in the National Assembly on Wednesday on prolonged power outages, he said that the supply situation will gradually start improving from tomorrow (Thursday).

Khawaja Asif said some power plants of 2200 megawatts have been closed for maintenance. He said there will be no unannounced loadshedding after May 1.

The Minister said that a power plant of 760 megawatts is being inaugurated in Sheikhupura today (Wednesday). He said currently the country is facing power shortfall of 5200 megawatts, and 6400 megawatts of power will be added to the national grid by the end of this year.

Member National Assembly Ijaz Jhkahrani said that recovery of electricity bills is the duty of the government; it doesn’t mean the government disconnects the connections. The minister said that the government switched off feeders wherever the recovery in less than 70 per cent that improves the system.

The minister also claimed that Neelum Jehlum and Tarbela 4 would also be included into the system in February 2018, adding that Nandipur Power Project will provide 525 megawatts in May.

Meanwhile, the opposition party walked out of the house over the issue of missing persons, asking the government to recover them and present before the Parliament. Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah said that a case would be registered against the government if anything happened to missing persons.

He said that the government is weakening the strength of the parliament, complaining that no minister is giving answers to their questions in the house. “We asked about expenditures of the prime minister over last two years but no one has replied so far” he stated. The opposition leader said that a lady was abused at the airport but no action was taken by any authority.