HYDERABAD, Sept 20: Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi has announced packages for consumers and defaulters and hoped that the packages will help in eliminating power theft and make grant of new connection easy.

He was speaking at a news conference here on Monday after holding a meeting with the chief executive and other senior officials of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company. He said that the domestic consumers who had defaulted on payment up to Rs500,000 and whose power supply had been disconnected, could get their connections restored without paying reconnection charges.

He said that the consumers including agricultural consumes, whose power supply had been disconnected five years ago because of non-payment of dues, could get their connections restored by paying 50 per cent of their dues by December, adding that the remaining 50 per cent would be waived.

He said that the charge for new connection according to the rules in vogue were Rs3,000. He, however, said that new connections would be given on payment of Rs300 only and the remaining amount could be paid in easy instalments.

Mr Jatoi said that it had also been decided that where infrastructure was available, new connections would be given within 10 days, and in other cases, it would not take more than one month.

He said that due to some major faults and defects in the Liberty Powerhouse, Ghotki, there was a shortfall of 100MW in power supply, resulting in load shedding. He, however, said that arrangements had been made on permanent basis to maintain uninterrupted power supply to avoid load shedding.

Mr Jatoi said that he had given a target to each division of Hesco to reduce line losses at least by five per cent, failing which the responsible officials would be removed from their posts.

He said that he would carry out the reshuffling of the officials within 10 days and accept no pressure or influence in this regard. He said that he would inaugurate a central complaint centre at the office of the Hesco chief on Monday, which would be directly linked with the complaint centre of his ministry.

Answering a question about providing electricity to those villages where electric poles had already be erected, he said that Wapda would provide power to such villages without further delay.

About decreased power generation of the Lakhra and Jamshoro powerhouses, the minister said that he would visit them on Monday to take stock of the situation. He said that those who had been sitting at the helm of affairs at the powerhouses for 10 years or so were likely to be replaced to improve the situation.