Ask, and you shall receive: Govt ready to hand K-P Pesco reins

Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif says government is ready to transfer control of the distribution company in K-P to provincial government. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

Frustrated with the electric power situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan had demanded that the government hand over control of power distribution in the province to him.

Little did Imran expect that his proposal will be welcomed by the government.

Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif, while talking to Express News on Monday evening, welcomed the offer and said that the government was ready to hand over the distribution and recovery network in K-P to the provincial government.

“If he can help us in this regard and improve the system there [in K-P], then that is good.”

Asked if control of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) would be handed over immediately, Asif said that was doable.

“Yes it [transfer of control] can be done immediately. He [Imran] can take control of Pesco and handle the distribution of electricity and recovery.”

The government has come under fire for not fully realising its election promise of controlling prolonged power cuts, line losses and electricity theft, and Asif defended the government on this.

“This is not about us failing. Over the past three, four months, there has been a reduction in line losses and theft. We do not claim there has been radical change, but there has been reduction, there has been improvement.”

“If the K-P government believes that they can bring marked improvement in the system, then they should do it. If someone is trying to do good, we should not obstruct that.”

Asked how soon can control be given to the PTI-led government in K-P, Asif said that the government was willing to hand it over control in the new year.

“He [Imran Khan] proposed January 1, he can take charge of Pesco from January 1, 2014.”

“What he [Imran] wants he can do, we can give him control of the entire distribution company.”

Under the landmark 18th Amendment, power is one of the subjects that is supposed to be devolved to provinces. However, due to a multitude of issues, this has not happened so far.