MNA warns dirty politics on supply of Golen Gol power to Upper Chitral

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ChitralToday. The cut-off date of 5th Jan 2018 for reaching a power purchase agreement for Golen Gol electricity given to PEDO and PESCO as per decision of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning Development and Reforms meeting held on 28th Dec in Chitral has already lapsed and PEDO has not filled the requisite forms let alone reaching an agreement. https://twitter.com/pid_gov/status/950243461134979072 He said PEDO didn’t attend a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning Development and Reforms held in Islamabad on 4th Dec 2017 for unknown reasons. “PEDO’s non-serious approach was also obvious when it sent unprepared junior level officials to the second meeting of the standing committee held on 28th Dec 2017 at Golen Gol project office in Chitral.” The MNA said the chief executive officer o PESCO and the chairman of WAPDA had been writing to PEDO for the last nine months but the KP government gave a lukewarm response. PEDO officials were taken on a site visit to the Golen Gol project and shown all the technical arrangements on ground by PESCO and WAPDA.

Both the coalition partners in the KP  government – PTI and JI – remain high on talk and low on action and their local cadres continue to issue warnings to the KP government rather than asking it to side with the public.
It is hoped that the provincial government senses the public’s pulse and take proactive measures by signing the power purchase agreement with PESCO and desist from playing dirty politics that will only prolong the miseries of the public. A solution simply requires signing the agreement. The MNA said he spoke to PESCO chief engineer and director planning and was informed they had contacted PEDO at least five times after the 28th Dec standing committee meeting in Chitral to sign the agreement but so far PEDO has not given any positive response. “Upon contacting, the planning officer PEDO also had no information. I had separately tried to speak to the secretary energy KP as well as the chief planning officer Zainullah and none was available. I also sent an sms to Chief Secretary Azam Khan who is an upright officer and had always responded in the affirmative when it came to issues of Chitral as he has served as DC Chitral.” The MNA appealed directly to the chief minister KP to intervene and help solve the problem. People are out on the streets demonstrating against lack of power. The MNA said the CM was deliberately being ill informed thereby painting the KP government as a part of the problem. He said the direct intervention of the chief minister would put an end to dirty politics. Politicians are exploiting the outraged public who is agitating on daily basis creating law and order situation which if dealt proactively can easily be averted. It would be prudent if PEDO proactively reaches agreement for it to be seen as part of the solution & not part of the problem. The protests will turn violent if Chitral and Drosh get electrified and Upper Chitral with PEDO distribution system is left out.]]>

3 Comments
  1. Shah Karez says

    PEDO must explain the reason why is there dead silence on their part. Apparently no technical reason exists to allow needed power through existing infrastructure to Upper Chitral. Even if such reason exists the remedial measures should be known to the people. Keeping dumb creates suspicions as to the motives behind which will not be in the interest of PEDO nor the PTI government.

  2. Imaduddin says

    In this regard we also request the PTI MPA Fouzia to take up this lingering issue with the Chief Minister and resolve it at their earliest. All the MPA, s and MNA are requested to exercise team work and forget the party affiliation for the time being, just for the sake of larger community issue.

  3. Siraj Ulmulk says

    MNA Iftikhar has painted the correct picture. We strongly urge our two MPAs to take up this issue on a priority basis with the Chief Minister. There may be other technical issues involved with delivering Golen Gol electricity through PEDO lines to upper Chitral but those can be sorted out once PEDO accepts this distribution. PTI government will be a big loser if PEDO creates hurdles in the way of supplying available electricity to upper Chitral. PEDO should have started work on this long ago. It will be unfair with upper Chitral when they see lower Chitral being connected to an abundance of good quality electricity while they will still be in darkness.

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