Mirpur: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani on Friday directed the State Energy and Water Resources Department to take concrete measures to reduce electricity line losses, ensure installation of meters on all existing connections and minimize the duration of load-shedding.
Presiding over a meeting of the Energy and Water Resources Department, the prime minister also directed the Power Development Organization (PDO) to expedite ongoing hydropower projects and complete them within the stipulated timelines. He said fully harnessing the state’s hydropower potential would help increase government revenue, meet local energy requirements and generate employment opportunities.
Gillani directed the department to devise an effective mechanism for removing tangled bundles of wires from electricity poles and ensure meters were installed wherever electricity connections already existed. He observed that the people of Azad Kashmir were benefiting from the cheapest electricity, with the subsidy provided on electricity reaching every citizen, and stressed that load-shedding should be kept to the minimum.
Secretary Energy and Water Resources Muhammad Tayyab briefed the meeting on the electricity transmission system, billing, line losses and matters concerning the PDO. Principal Secretary Sardar Adnan Khursheed and senior officials attended the meeting, where the prime minister reiterated the need for timely execution of hydropower schemes to strengthen the state’s energy security and economic prospects.