KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed the energy minister to approach three power utilities — Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) and K-Electric (KE) — for electrification of 1,179 villages in the province.

Presiding over a meeting on villages’ electrification here on Tuesday, the CM was informed that 1,974 villages, out of 3,153, had so far been electrified by Hesco, Sepco and KE against a sum of Rs3.66 billion.

After electrification of 1,974 villages, the power companies had a balance of Rs1.86bn of the Sindh government for electrification of 1,179 remaining villages.

CM Shah directed Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh to talk to the authorities concerned of the Hesco, Sepco and KE for electrification of the remaining villages.

He also disclosed of having a plan to electrify various villages of Malir and West districts as well for which he directed the energy department to prepare a plan for schemes so that required funds could be allocated.

The energy minister told the CM that the provincial government had also paid Rs3.124bn to Hesco during 2012 to 2017-18 for electrification of 1,600 villages but so far only 870 villages were electrified for Rs1.84bn and 730 villages were yet to be electrified against a balance of Rs1.35bn.

The chief minister directed the energy minister to take up the matter with Hesco authorities for expediting electrification of the remaining villages.

Mr Sheikh further said that during the past five years Rs2.34bn was paid to Sepco for electrification of 1,508 villages against which they electrified 1,062 villages for Rs1.49bn and still they had to electrify 446 villages.

Similarly, he pointed out that the KE had been paid Rs400 million to electrify 45 villages for Rs318.646m but they had electrified 42 villages and work on three villages was in progress.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2019