CM Gandapur threatens to take control of PESCO office

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur has threatened to take control of office of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) if ‘loadshedding isn’t reduced by tonight’, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The KP chief minister, in a statement, warned the federal government and Energy Minister that he would take over the PESCO office if ‘loadshedding isn’t reduced by tonight’.

CM Gandapur noted that the provincial government has asked multiple times to solve the issues, asking the authorities to change schedule by tonight.

He demanded that the federal government provide relief to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who according to him are facing 22 hours of load shedding, by reducing it to 18 hours.

The chief minister warned that if the schedule is not changed, he will take drastic measures, including taking control of grid stations and PESCO office. He clarified that this is not a warning, but a timeline for action.

Earlier, CM Gandapur castigated the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government over expensive electricity and “worst load-shedding”, asking the Centre to pay its KP dues.

The provincial chief executive said: “Electricity is being supplied to our people at high rates. It would be their mistake if they [Centre] think that we will remain silent on this injustice.”

The federal government had to clear KP’s Rs1.51 trillion dues under Net Hydel Profit, he added.

“In the [previous] PTI’s term, electricity was being provided at Rs15 per unit. [But] now, the utility’s rate is Rs65 per unit and it is not even available.”

“I am not seeking charity for our people,” he told the federal government.