CHARSADDA
Govt trying hard to provide relief to people, despite financial constraints: Abbasi
ISLAMABAD, Sep 1 (APP): A senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday said despite financial constraints, the government was trying its best to provide maximum relief to people.
Addressing a news conference, he said persistent efforts were underway to stabilize the economy and provide solace to people. Optimum efforts were being made to help rehabilitate flood-hit people.
The floods have destabilized the country’s economy in already difficult conditions.
Lambasting former Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said the agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF) was inked by the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, making it binding on the successive government to implement the programme.
Imran Khan repeatedly violated agreements with IMF by decreasing the prices of petroleum products on sensing his impending ouster from the government.
Imran Khan was only interested in promoting his political agenda. The freezing of gas and electricity prices proved detrimental to the country’s economy.
He held Imran Khan responsible for current economic woes.
He lauded the hard work and dedication of Finance Minister Miftah Ismael and said that the Shehbaz government took difficult decisions to put the economy back on right track.
He admitted that some party members did not support some difficult decisions of the government.
Criticizing former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, he said despite knowing the intricacies of the deal with IMF, Tarin conspired against the IMF programme by asking finance ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to sabotage it.
He conspired against the IMF programme on directives of Imran Khan.
Govt restores electricity in majority areas of KP: Khurram Dastagir
PESHAWAR, Sep 01 (APP): Federal Minister for Power, Khurram Dastagir Khan here Thursday said that electricity had been restored in almost all flood hit areas of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
The Minister expressed these views during a press conference after presiding over a high-level meeting regarding flood damages to electricity infrastructure including grid stations, feeders, transmission lines and poles besides rehabilitation and reconstruction operations of the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) and Tribal Electricity Supply Company (TESCO) in the flood hit areas of KP at PESCO headquarters here.
The Minister said that except some flood hit areas of Swat and Bajaur, electricity had been restored in all districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa for which PESCO and TESCO authorities and field staff deserved appreciation.
He directed PESCO and TESCO authorities to restore electricity in remaining flood affected areas of upper Swat and Bajaur at earliest. The Minister said that Joint Secretary of Ministry of Power, Alamzaib had been deployed to oversee and monitor electricity’s restoration and reconstruction works in Khyber Pakthunkhwa and would report on daily basis to the Ministry about resolution of electricity related issues in flood hit areas of the province.
Out of nine closed grid stations, he said, electricity on six grid stations had been restored. Similarly, out of 126 affected feeders, 121 feeders were restored in the province, adding basic electricity infrastructure including feeders and grid stations were functional in KP despite devastating floods in Rivers Kabul and Swat.
The Federal Minister who dashed to Peshawar to oversee flood damages on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that destroyed electricity poles and transmission lines would be reconstructed on priority basis. He directed PESCO and TESCO authorities to expedite work on the affected poles and transmission lines in flood hit areas of KP.
The Minister said the flood had badly affected electricity infrastructure in upper areas of Swat including Matta, Madain and Bahrain besides some areas of Bajaur and directed PESCO and TESCO chiefs to restore electricity system in these areas on priority basis to provide relief to the affected population.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced Rs10 billion financial aid for flood victims of Khyber Pakthunkhwa to provide relief to the affected population. To a question, he said that a national policy would be prepared for provision of relief to flood victims in electricity bills. Besides KP, he said flood had also caused havoc in Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab.
Khurram Dastagir said electricity system in all food hit areas of Nowshera and Charasadda had been restored and no damage had been done to any grid station in Nowshera due to effective planning of the PESCO.
He directed Joint Secretary Alamzaib to closely coordinate with PESCO and TESCO to address problem of electricity poles within a week and report to the ministry about progress on its restoration on daily basis.
Khurram Dastagir said that a comprehensive strategy was being prepared to control electricity losses and enhance recovery.
Earlier, the Minister presided over a high level meeting attended by CEOs of PESCO and TESCO besides others senior officers. The Minister was informed that electricity had been restored in all flood hit areas of KP except some areas of upper Swat and Bajaur due to destruction of roads infrastructure by the floods.
Similarly, work on affected electricity transmission lines, poles, transformers and feeders in flood hit Nowshera and Charsadda was underway, and no grid station was damaged by floods in Nowshera due to preemptive measures by the PESCO authority. The meeting was attended by CEO PESCO Abdul Jabbar Khan, TESCO Chief Tahir Khan, Joint Secretary Ministry of Power, Alamzaib and a woman MPA from Dir district and others senior officials of Wapda.
The Minister while expressing satisfaction over the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts of PECSO and TESCO directed its officials to further expedite work in flood hit areas including Swat and Bajaur. He said government would continue effort till rehabilitation and resettlement of the last affected person.
CDA workers are repairing G-7 Area road
ISLAMABAD
Construction work of a road at Sirinagar Highway is under process to expand it
ISLAMABAD
A little girl is enjoying a swing at a local park of G-7
ISLAMABAD
A view of newly constructed road near Pak China Center
ISLAMABAD
PDMA Balochistan sets up flood relief camp in Sukkur
QUETTA, Sep 01 (APP): The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Balochistan has set up a relief camp in Sukkur city of Sindh, an official of PDMA said on Thursday.
“The city is near the green belt of Balochistan and will help carry out relief operations in Naseerabad and other flood-hit areas in the green belt of the province,” Deputy Director of PDMA Faisal Khan said.
He said that a relief operation jointly carried out by the PDMA and Pakistan Army was in full swing in the calamity-stricken areas of Balochistan.
Thousands of people stranded in the flood water had been evacuated so far and shifted to the camp set up by the government, he said.
Naseerabad division, with its plain area was the worst affected due to rain and flood. The water was receding very slowly, adding to the plight of the affected people.
A view of newly constructed road near Pak China Center
ISLAMABAD
