ISLAMABAD: The government paid Rs312 billion to the Karachi Electricity Supply Company (K-Electric) during the last eight years, in which Rs228 billion was paid in just last four years and Rs84 billion was paid last year, while with the highest ratio, Rs53 billion was given to the company during the ongoing year to fill the ‘tariff gap’, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali informed Senate.
The minister of state, criticising the agreement with K-Electric, said that the government was considering the agreement illegal and had challenged it in the Sindh High Court. He further said that the government had asked the company to immediately pay Rs17 billion out of total Rs32.79 billion it owed to the federal government.
Replying a query during the question-answer session of the House, the minister said that pointing out the responsible of shortfall would create controversy, adding that the government was taking step to increase generation of electricity. Abid, responding to another question, said that the government had released just Rs100 million so far out of total Rs500 million allocated for building 20 small dams in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The minister informed the House that the government would soon start work on the Dasu dam, while funds had also been released for acquisition of land for the Diamer-Basha dam.
