- Wahab blames the PML-N government for signing IPP contracts in haste.
- “The provincial card should not be played in matters related to electricity.”
- Aslam says Punjab's power subsidy amounts to a waste of public resources.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have joined hands to criticise the Punjab government's plan to provide relief to power consumers for two months, calling it a move taken purely for cosmetic reasons.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif announced a two-month power subsidy scheme for the people of Punjab a day ago, which will be given to consumers who use up to 500 units in August and September bills.
PPP leader Murtaza Wahab speaking at Geo news program Naya Pakistan On Saturday, he said all governments have prioritised providing relief to the masses, but this must be given in the long term.
Commenting on the Punjab government's power relief scheme, he said the provincial government would bear a financial outlay of Rs45 billion while the relief would only last for two months.
Wahab blamed the PML-N government for signing contracts with independent power producers (IPPs) in haste.
Wahab believes that the government is responsible for providing long-term assistance and not for taking measures that are merely cosmetic. “The provincial card should not be played in matters related to electricity,” he added.
The Karachi mayor, whose party is a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N at the Centre, called on the federal government to formulate long-term plans with the PPP to provide relief to the masses.
Speaking on the same programme, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister's Finance Adviser Muzammil Aslam also criticised Punjab's announcement of a two-month power subsidy, saying it would amount to wasting public resources in the name of relief.
He said unsustainable power projects have been launched in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, generating electricity at a cost of Rs 75 per unit using imported furnaces.
On the other hand, Sindh and the KP were generating electricity at low cost, he added. He further stated that the cost of electricity generation per unit would be Rs 8 through the new power projects in the KP.
Aslam said the KP government has also allocated Rs 20 billion for its solarisation project and is providing solar systems to each family at a cost of Rs 200,000.
A day earlier, PML-N President Nawaz along with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced to cut the development fund to give a relief of Rs14 per unit on power bills to consumers who use up to 500 units for two months.
The PML-N president, patting her daughter CM Maryam on the shoulder, thanked her for reducing flour prices when she assumed power in the province.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also welcomed the “historic” relief package for electricity consumers by the Punjab Chief Minister.
He said efforts are being made to find a lasting and sustainable solution to the energy crisis by taking measures against electricity theft and reforms in the power sector.
The Prime Minister recently said that his administration has diverted Rs 50 billion from the federal government's development budget and provided relief on electricity prices, which is being benefited by 200 units of consumers.
