ISLAMABAD: The Senate standing committee on Water and Power has given directions to the local administration to speed up work on 220KV Malakand grid station.
Senate standing committee on Water and Power chairman Senator Zahid Khan said that due to the six years continuous efforts of the committee, Malakand Administration was able to save 50 billion rupees in payments to land owners. This saving was reflected in the books of NTDC. Senator Nisar Ahmed Khan said that Malakand was the only division where 97 percent consumers pay electricity bills.
Chairman said that presently Mardan grid station is supplying electricity to nine districts of Malakand. He said due to length of transmission lines and obsolete system the area with highest percentage of bill paying consumers was facing up to 18 hours of loadshedding. He said that after completion Malakand grid station would provide smooth supply of electricity to nine districts.
The committee was apprised that grid station was approved during last government’s tenure but due to a dispute between Wapda and local land owners, it was delayed. Deputy Commissioner Malakand and NTDC MD ensured that committee that 39 local land owners would be paid all outstanding dues, related to the purchase of land for the grid station.
The committee directed local administration to complete necessary documentation and the committee would itself distribute the cheques among local land owners on January 30.
