Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday reiterated the government’s firm resolve for not burdening the consumers with increased utility bills, by keeping the electricity and gas tariffs stable through out-of-box methods.
Briefing the media about the decisions of the Federal Cabinet, Special Assistant o the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the previous governments adopted anti-people policies by not passing on the power and gas generation cost to the consumers. Moreover, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz regime did not increase the tariffs in the wake of Panama Papers case and 2018 for being the election year.
The prime minister, while chairing the cabinet meeting, advised the Ministry of Energy not to offset the power and gas generation cost by increasing their tariffs and instead find a way out by preparing a mechanism to revamp the obsolete structure of power sector, she added.
Dr Firdous said the cabinet deliberated on the challenges related to the transmission lines, which could not bear the load of over 18,000 mega watts, whereas in summer demands crossed 26,000 mega watts, causing disruption in power distribution system.
Moreover, the cabinet expressed the determination to hold the power pilferers accountable, besides use of the latest digital technology to control line losses and theft. It was informed that some 58,387 first information reports were registered against the power thieves in 2019. –APPs
