By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: An influential contractor in Chitral is again using substandard material in the reconstruction of a bridge in Yarkhun valley after the collapse of another bridge in the area days after its completion killing three persons, the local residents alleged.
Talking to Dawn, they also accused contractor Mohammad Khan of changing the design of the bridge and decreasing its width in connivance with the officials of the works department though Rs140 million had been sanctioned for the project.
When the residents held a protest demonstration against the poor quality work on the bridge connecting their area with other parts of the district, the contractor assured them that fresh and quality material would be used in the project. However, a few days later he restarted work at the site using the same old stuff.
When the bridge collapsed in August 2006, the local residents had collected its material including strings, bolts and plunks and stored them in a nearby field. With the passage of time most of the material got damaged due to weathering and became unfit for use.
The residents of Yarkhun said the reconstruction of the only bridge connecting their area with other parts of the district had been in the cold storage for the over three years.
Official sources said the executive engineer works had imposed Rs1.4 million fine on the contractor and also recommended his blacklisting for failing to complete the project on time but so far action has not been taken against him.
Public representatives in the area said Mohammad Khan was also responsible for inordinate delay and poor quality work in major development projects in the district. They said misuse of funds, delay and poor quality work had been detected in a number of projects.
They cited the examples of the Booni-Shandur road, Molkhow road and Mastuj bridge projects which were awarded to the same contractor wholly or partially and were still incomplete.
When contacted, contractor Mohammad Khan rejected all the allegations and said to avoid backlash of the residents of Yarkhun, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and MPA Ghulam Mohammad were trying to make him a scapegoat and tarnish his image among the local people.
He said the elected representatives had tried to award the project to their cronies by floating tenders three times which caused delay in completion of the work. He said neither he was using the old material in the reconstruction of the bridge nor had reduced its width.
About extra payment made to him in the Attahk water project, he said the earlier estimate was made by an inexperienced consultant, after which another consultant raised the cost of the completed work, adding most of the payment had still not been made to him.--Dawn
Friday, December 25, 2009
Discord over Norwegian-funded project in Chitral
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: The Rs1 billion Norwegian funded Chitral Integrated Area Development Project (CIADP) will not produce desired results and is poised to create political polarisation in the area due to lack of clear plan and flaws in its execution system, development experts pointed out.
They said though the Norwegian government had taken a good step for development of Chitral, it did not take all the stakeholders into confidence before launching the mega project with the current district nazim from Jamaat-i-Islami as the head of its steering committee. Besides, questions are also being raised why Islamabad-based contractors, the Thrive, had been hired for management consultancy when there were non-profit making agencies that had already carried out a number of development projects in the valley.
About 10 to 20 per cent of the funds would go to the contractors, they said. Furthermore, there will be unnecessary expenditures on office hiring in Islamabad and Chitral by the contractors. Since the early 1980s, a number of NGOs have been working in the development sector and none of them has ever hired a contractor for execution of its schemes. Projects identification is done by the local communities and the schemes are executed on the basis of their feasibility. The contractors for CIADP have, however, neither taken local elected representatives of mainstream political parties into confidence nor briefed them about the schemes.
The project document is also silent on the much needed programme component - physically productive infrastructure projects. Besides, the contractors have not been able to satisfy the proposed implementing partners, community representatives and the beneficiaries on the modality of the programme and recruitment of the staff. The focus of the contractors has been on employing low-paid staff without considering its adverse impact on the quality of management.
MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin expressed regret that he was neither taken into confidence nor briefed about the project. He said the mandate of the district government had already ended and the future of the system was ambiguous. He claimed that the provincial government had also expressed its displeasure over the way it had been bypassed in launching the project. “The CIADP has been developed as if it is a slush fund for the district nazim. This is not good for Chitral. One person should not be in the deciding chair keeping in view the geo-political landscape of Chitral,” the MNA said, adding the JI nazim was taking undue political benefit from the project propagating that he had brought the funds for development of Chitral.
Mr Mohiuddin also objected to the formation of the project steering committee and said the area MNA, MPAs and representatives of all political parties should be included in it. He said instead of the district nazim the committee should be headed by the DCO who represents the provincial government and coordinates all development works. The district government overlooks only the portion of work controlled by the district assembly which is only a fraction of the overall development projects and does not include the provincial annual development plan and many other funding sources through the federal and provincial governments.Besides, the handlers of the funds are selecting projects sites without involving experts for feasibility study. Four areas have initially been selected and are being given lump-sump money with the task to carry out unspecified projects. These areas are: Beori valley,
Kargin, Chuinj villages in Mastuj tehsil, Nishkow in Molkhow and Runmbur in Kalash valley.
The MNA said projects launched in these areas would not complete in four to five years because the localities neither have local support organisations nor sufficient manpower. It would have been more productive had the fund utilised for the development of infrastructure in whole the district. He said educational institutions lacked buildings and primary schools having two rooms each accommodated six classes. The funds could have been used for providing missing facilities including classrooms in schools, he added.
When contacted for comments, Terje Thodesen, Counsellor Development, and Terje Barstad, Minsiter Counsellor, at the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad brushed aside the apprehensions and said they had completed all requirements and formalities before launching the project.
They said the project visualised in 2005 was launched on June 23, 2009, and would be completed in the year 2014 covering all parts of Chitral. They said the project proposals had come from the district government. During a Logical Framework Approach (LFA) workshop in 2007, all the stakeholders including the local NGOs were taken on board. In December 2008, they also held a meeting with the officials of the provincial local government department in Peshawar. The terms of reference were advertised and given to the local people.
They said the Islamabad-based management company, the Thrive, won the project as no other firm took part in the bidding which was open to all. Besides, the aim to award the project to Thrive was that it is the neutral firm having no political or whatsoever affiliations in the district. The steering committee is headed by the district nazim while a representative of the firm is its secretary. They said funds were not given under the direct control of the district nazim as the project was being executed by the company while the embassy oversaw its working. The hiring of staff for the project was also carried out by the company, they added. They said they were always ready to brief any political representative about the project, but so far nobody has contacted them.--Dawn
ISLAMABAD: The Rs1 billion Norwegian funded Chitral Integrated Area Development Project (CIADP) will not produce desired results and is poised to create political polarisation in the area due to lack of clear plan and flaws in its execution system, development experts pointed out.
They said though the Norwegian government had taken a good step for development of Chitral, it did not take all the stakeholders into confidence before launching the mega project with the current district nazim from Jamaat-i-Islami as the head of its steering committee. Besides, questions are also being raised why Islamabad-based contractors, the Thrive, had been hired for management consultancy when there were non-profit making agencies that had already carried out a number of development projects in the valley.
About 10 to 20 per cent of the funds would go to the contractors, they said. Furthermore, there will be unnecessary expenditures on office hiring in Islamabad and Chitral by the contractors. Since the early 1980s, a number of NGOs have been working in the development sector and none of them has ever hired a contractor for execution of its schemes. Projects identification is done by the local communities and the schemes are executed on the basis of their feasibility. The contractors for CIADP have, however, neither taken local elected representatives of mainstream political parties into confidence nor briefed them about the schemes.
The project document is also silent on the much needed programme component - physically productive infrastructure projects. Besides, the contractors have not been able to satisfy the proposed implementing partners, community representatives and the beneficiaries on the modality of the programme and recruitment of the staff. The focus of the contractors has been on employing low-paid staff without considering its adverse impact on the quality of management.
MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin expressed regret that he was neither taken into confidence nor briefed about the project. He said the mandate of the district government had already ended and the future of the system was ambiguous. He claimed that the provincial government had also expressed its displeasure over the way it had been bypassed in launching the project. “The CIADP has been developed as if it is a slush fund for the district nazim. This is not good for Chitral. One person should not be in the deciding chair keeping in view the geo-political landscape of Chitral,” the MNA said, adding the JI nazim was taking undue political benefit from the project propagating that he had brought the funds for development of Chitral.
Mr Mohiuddin also objected to the formation of the project steering committee and said the area MNA, MPAs and representatives of all political parties should be included in it. He said instead of the district nazim the committee should be headed by the DCO who represents the provincial government and coordinates all development works. The district government overlooks only the portion of work controlled by the district assembly which is only a fraction of the overall development projects and does not include the provincial annual development plan and many other funding sources through the federal and provincial governments.Besides, the handlers of the funds are selecting projects sites without involving experts for feasibility study. Four areas have initially been selected and are being given lump-sump money with the task to carry out unspecified projects. These areas are: Beori valley,
Kargin, Chuinj villages in Mastuj tehsil, Nishkow in Molkhow and Runmbur in Kalash valley.
The MNA said projects launched in these areas would not complete in four to five years because the localities neither have local support organisations nor sufficient manpower. It would have been more productive had the fund utilised for the development of infrastructure in whole the district. He said educational institutions lacked buildings and primary schools having two rooms each accommodated six classes. The funds could have been used for providing missing facilities including classrooms in schools, he added.
When contacted for comments, Terje Thodesen, Counsellor Development, and Terje Barstad, Minsiter Counsellor, at the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad brushed aside the apprehensions and said they had completed all requirements and formalities before launching the project.
They said the project visualised in 2005 was launched on June 23, 2009, and would be completed in the year 2014 covering all parts of Chitral. They said the project proposals had come from the district government. During a Logical Framework Approach (LFA) workshop in 2007, all the stakeholders including the local NGOs were taken on board. In December 2008, they also held a meeting with the officials of the provincial local government department in Peshawar. The terms of reference were advertised and given to the local people.
They said the Islamabad-based management company, the Thrive, won the project as no other firm took part in the bidding which was open to all. Besides, the aim to award the project to Thrive was that it is the neutral firm having no political or whatsoever affiliations in the district. The steering committee is headed by the district nazim while a representative of the firm is its secretary. They said funds were not given under the direct control of the district nazim as the project was being executed by the company while the embassy oversaw its working. The hiring of staff for the project was also carried out by the company, they added. They said they were always ready to brief any political representative about the project, but so far nobody has contacted them.--Dawn
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Ten killed in Lowari Pass traffic accident
CHITRAL: Ten passengers were killed and four others injured in a road accident on the Lowari Pass near Dir Sunday, police said.
According to the Dir and Chitral police, a Land Cruiser carrying 14 passengers was on way to Chitral from Dir. When the vehicle reached Daro Khwar near Gujar on the Lowari Pass at 2pm, it went out of the driver’s control due to some technical fault and fell down into a hundreds of feet deep ravine.
As a result, nine passengers died on the spot and one succumbed to injuries later. The others were injured, some of them critically.
The bodies kept at the DHQ Hospital in Dir have been identified as Inayatullah, son of Baraat Khan, Chitral; Sharifullah, son of Rehmatullah, Ayun; Misal Khan, his wife and son from Shah Mansoor, Swabi, and Sartaj and Dilaram, residents of Lower Dir.
The Dir police said they have handed over three bodies to the Chitral police who could not be identified.
The injured admitted to the DHQ Hospital Dir were identified as Waqar, Habibullah, Tariq and Ehsan.
According to the Dir and Chitral police, a Land Cruiser carrying 14 passengers was on way to Chitral from Dir. When the vehicle reached Daro Khwar near Gujar on the Lowari Pass at 2pm, it went out of the driver’s control due to some technical fault and fell down into a hundreds of feet deep ravine.
As a result, nine passengers died on the spot and one succumbed to injuries later. The others were injured, some of them critically.
The bodies kept at the DHQ Hospital in Dir have been identified as Inayatullah, son of Baraat Khan, Chitral; Sharifullah, son of Rehmatullah, Ayun; Misal Khan, his wife and son from Shah Mansoor, Swabi, and Sartaj and Dilaram, residents of Lower Dir.
The Dir police said they have handed over three bodies to the Chitral police who could not be identified.
The injured admitted to the DHQ Hospital Dir were identified as Waqar, Habibullah, Tariq and Ehsan.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Steps urged to enhance border security in Chitral
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: Fearing more criminal and anti-state activities from across the border in Afghanistan, people of Chitral have asked the federal government to strengthen the local police and border security force on a priority basis.
Though Chitral has remained unaffected from Taliban militancy so far, its over 300-km-long poorly watched porous border with the three provinces of Afghanistan - Wakhan, Nooristan and Kunar – has seen unchecked movement of Afghan nationals including smugglers and criminals into the valley. And the recent kidnapping of a Greek national from Kalash valley has further exposed the vulnerability of the district to such an eventuality.
Security experts believe that any long-term strategy to contain Taliban resurrection and keep the Malakand division from any future militant activity is fraught with failure until Chitral-Afghan border was protected through enhanced security measures.
The Chitral police with its current strength of about 1,050 personnel are poorly equipped and unable to meet growing security concerns besides discharging their routine duty in the district spreading over 14,850 square kilometres. Besides, most of the Chitral Scouts personnel which used to man the border till the withdrawal of Russian forces from Afghanistan in 1989 now remain posted out in Gilgit-Baltistan and the violence-hit districts of the NWFP.
As the dust settles on the military operation against Taliban militants, the federal government is all set to raise a strong police force of 11,000 personnel for the Malakand division which will replace the army to maintain peace in the region. Though Chitral is a
district of the Malakand division and has suffered huge economic losses due to the recent law and order situation and is at the risk of increased militancy through its borders with Afghanistan as well as Swat and Dir districts, the government has strangely kept it
out of the future security arrangement.
When contacted, MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin, however, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik had assured him that the district would get its share in the recruitment of 11,000 police personnel for the Malakand division. He said the minister was well aware of the security problems of the district and determined to strengthen the police and the border security force.
ISLAMABAD: Fearing more criminal and anti-state activities from across the border in Afghanistan, people of Chitral have asked the federal government to strengthen the local police and border security force on a priority basis.
Though Chitral has remained unaffected from Taliban militancy so far, its over 300-km-long poorly watched porous border with the three provinces of Afghanistan - Wakhan, Nooristan and Kunar – has seen unchecked movement of Afghan nationals including smugglers and criminals into the valley. And the recent kidnapping of a Greek national from Kalash valley has further exposed the vulnerability of the district to such an eventuality.
Security experts believe that any long-term strategy to contain Taliban resurrection and keep the Malakand division from any future militant activity is fraught with failure until Chitral-Afghan border was protected through enhanced security measures.
The Chitral police with its current strength of about 1,050 personnel are poorly equipped and unable to meet growing security concerns besides discharging their routine duty in the district spreading over 14,850 square kilometres. Besides, most of the Chitral Scouts personnel which used to man the border till the withdrawal of Russian forces from Afghanistan in 1989 now remain posted out in Gilgit-Baltistan and the violence-hit districts of the NWFP.
As the dust settles on the military operation against Taliban militants, the federal government is all set to raise a strong police force of 11,000 personnel for the Malakand division which will replace the army to maintain peace in the region. Though Chitral is a
district of the Malakand division and has suffered huge economic losses due to the recent law and order situation and is at the risk of increased militancy through its borders with Afghanistan as well as Swat and Dir districts, the government has strangely kept it
out of the future security arrangement.
When contacted, MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin, however, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik had assured him that the district would get its share in the recruitment of 11,000 police personnel for the Malakand division. He said the minister was well aware of the security problems of the district and determined to strengthen the police and the border security force.
Flood affected people of Sonoghor in Chitral seek rehabilitation
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: Despite the passage of over two years, no practical steps have been taken either by the federal or provincial governments to provide relief to the affected residents of Sonoghor village in the Mastuj tehsil of Chitral who were displaced by one of the biggest natural catastrophes in the history of the district.
On June 27, 2007, a glacier overlooking the scenic village burst and the avalanche/floodwater swept away houses, orchards, standing crops and other property. The mayhem continued for over three days and again hit the village one year later. As a result, as many as 115 families were displaced while 38 houses completely buried under the flood. The displaced residents have since been living in inhuman conditions in makeshift camps in nearby villages. Initially, they were provided relief items by some local NGOs who later also discontinued the assistance due to lack of funds.
Government officials and elected leaders have been making promises after promises to compensate and rehabilitate the affected people but so far no help has reached them. The residents also blocked the Chitral-Shandur road on the occasion of the annual polo tournament this year in protest against the government’s indifference to their sufferings and to convey their demands to the higher authorities. However, local officials in order to avoid any embarrassment again hoodwinked the people on false promises and got the road cleared.
Officials in the district could not be contacted for comments. However, MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin told this correspondent that in the year 2007 he had requested the then government to compensate the residents on a pattern similar to the affected people of the October 2005 earthquake in Hazara and Kashmir and help them rebuild the destroyed houses. He said the affected people in the earthquake zone were provided Rs175,000 per destroyed home by the government for reconstruction purposes.
“In spite of a surfeit of files travelling at high speed between the offices of the Provincial Relief Commissioner and the federal governments, no relief has been forthcoming for the poor residents,” he regretted.
He said continued inaction was projecting the government in poor light especially in an area where the ruling party enjoyed solid support. He said he was continuously in touch with the departments concerned seeking a relief package for the rehabilitation of the affected people.
ISLAMABAD: Despite the passage of over two years, no practical steps have been taken either by the federal or provincial governments to provide relief to the affected residents of Sonoghor village in the Mastuj tehsil of Chitral who were displaced by one of the biggest natural catastrophes in the history of the district.
On June 27, 2007, a glacier overlooking the scenic village burst and the avalanche/floodwater swept away houses, orchards, standing crops and other property. The mayhem continued for over three days and again hit the village one year later. As a result, as many as 115 families were displaced while 38 houses completely buried under the flood. The displaced residents have since been living in inhuman conditions in makeshift camps in nearby villages. Initially, they were provided relief items by some local NGOs who later also discontinued the assistance due to lack of funds.
Government officials and elected leaders have been making promises after promises to compensate and rehabilitate the affected people but so far no help has reached them. The residents also blocked the Chitral-Shandur road on the occasion of the annual polo tournament this year in protest against the government’s indifference to their sufferings and to convey their demands to the higher authorities. However, local officials in order to avoid any embarrassment again hoodwinked the people on false promises and got the road cleared.
Officials in the district could not be contacted for comments. However, MNA from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin told this correspondent that in the year 2007 he had requested the then government to compensate the residents on a pattern similar to the affected people of the October 2005 earthquake in Hazara and Kashmir and help them rebuild the destroyed houses. He said the affected people in the earthquake zone were provided Rs175,000 per destroyed home by the government for reconstruction purposes.
“In spite of a surfeit of files travelling at high speed between the offices of the Provincial Relief Commissioner and the federal governments, no relief has been forthcoming for the poor residents,” he regretted.
He said continued inaction was projecting the government in poor light especially in an area where the ruling party enjoyed solid support. He said he was continuously in touch with the departments concerned seeking a relief package for the rehabilitation of the affected people.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Reduction in PIA flights to Chitral slammed
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: Member National Assembly (MNA) from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin has criticised Pakistan International Airline (PIA) for reducing the number of flights on the Chitral route in complete disregards to the communication problems of the district.
Talking to this correspondent here on Saturday, he said the national flag carrier had recently diverted one of Chitral’s flights from Peshawar to Kabul besides giving another on Islamabad-Chitral route to Gilgit-Baltistan.
He said people of Chitral faced immense problems due to the closure of the only land route via the Lowari Pass in winter. This year, due to the military operation in the Malakand division, the valley remained cut-off from rest of the country even in summer. In this situation, the PIA flights become the only way of communication for the people of the area, he added.
Earlier the PIA operated 11 flights a week from Peshawar and daily one flight from Islamabad but now the number of flights from Peshawar has been reduced to six while Sunday’s flight from Islamabad has been diverted to Gilgit-Skardu route. Besides, the only one flight on Saturday from Peshawar has been shifted to Peshawar-Kabul route.
On the other hand, most of the flights from Peshawar are cancelled on the pretext of inclement weather leading to rush of passengers including women and elderly people both at Peshawar and Chitral who cannot travel by road through the Malakand division due to security reasons particularly after four Chitrali passengers were shot dead by Taliban militants in the Bajaur area this year.
He said instead of taking political decision on allocation of PIA aircraft for commercial flights, the authorities concerned should take into account the communication problems of Chitral which remains cut off from rest of the country due to absence of an all-weather route. He said the people of his area had rendered great sacrifices for maintenance of peace not only in their own district but also in other parts of the NWFP. In return, they should not be punished by snatching whatever facilities they have been availing for the last many years, he added.
The MNA also called upon the managing director of PIA, Capt Ejaz Haroon to consider Chitral as a special case and increase the flight on the route at least till the completion of Lowari Tunnel.
ISLAMABAD: Member National Assembly (MNA) from Chitral Shahzada Mohiuddin has criticised Pakistan International Airline (PIA) for reducing the number of flights on the Chitral route in complete disregards to the communication problems of the district.
Talking to this correspondent here on Saturday, he said the national flag carrier had recently diverted one of Chitral’s flights from Peshawar to Kabul besides giving another on Islamabad-Chitral route to Gilgit-Baltistan.
He said people of Chitral faced immense problems due to the closure of the only land route via the Lowari Pass in winter. This year, due to the military operation in the Malakand division, the valley remained cut-off from rest of the country even in summer. In this situation, the PIA flights become the only way of communication for the people of the area, he added.
Earlier the PIA operated 11 flights a week from Peshawar and daily one flight from Islamabad but now the number of flights from Peshawar has been reduced to six while Sunday’s flight from Islamabad has been diverted to Gilgit-Skardu route. Besides, the only one flight on Saturday from Peshawar has been shifted to Peshawar-Kabul route.
On the other hand, most of the flights from Peshawar are cancelled on the pretext of inclement weather leading to rush of passengers including women and elderly people both at Peshawar and Chitral who cannot travel by road through the Malakand division due to security reasons particularly after four Chitrali passengers were shot dead by Taliban militants in the Bajaur area this year.
He said instead of taking political decision on allocation of PIA aircraft for commercial flights, the authorities concerned should take into account the communication problems of Chitral which remains cut off from rest of the country due to absence of an all-weather route. He said the people of his area had rendered great sacrifices for maintenance of peace not only in their own district but also in other parts of the NWFP. In return, they should not be punished by snatching whatever facilities they have been availing for the last many years, he added.
The MNA also called upon the managing director of PIA, Capt Ejaz Haroon to consider Chitral as a special case and increase the flight on the route at least till the completion of Lowari Tunnel.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Corruption, politics behind Chitral's power crisis
By Zar Alam Khan
ISLAMABAD: As Chitral is facing worst ever electricity crisis, a tug of war among the politicians coupled with rampant mismanagement and inefficiency of the local power utility officials have further compounded the miseries of the consumers leaving no room for resolution of the problem.
Though small hydropower units have been set up and are working efficiently even in remote villages of the valley through monetary and technical know-how provided by the private sector, power crisis in the main town having a population of about 40,000 has deteriorated during the last a couple of years.
The local power house generates about one megawatt; 1.2 megawatts are supplied from the Reshun hydropower station in the Mastuj tehsil while about 1.5 megawatts come from the national grid against the total demand of about three megawatts. However, the consumers allege that the Pesco officials show the production of Chitral town powerhouse at 600 kw and do not give account for the electricity coming from Reshun and the national grid.
The consumers say sufficient electricity is available in the town and more can be generated with ease, but local political leaders have messed up with the issue for their own vested interests. All the political leaders including the district nazim of Jamaat-i-Islami, a provincial minister belonging to the PPP and the PML-Q MNA have played games for their own vested interests. When one leader tries to resolve the issue, others waste no time to sabotage his efforts lest he gets credit for it.
Fed up with the power breakdowns some time stretching up to over 20 hours daily, thousands of consumers led by convener Movement for Restoration of Electricity Wg Cdr (retired) Fardad Ali Shah took to the streets recently demanding transparency in utilisation of the available electricity and investigation into alleged mismanagement, corruption and misuse of authority by the Pesco officials. Members of the movement claimed that the local power station was producing over one megawatt, its maximum rated output with two turbines, but there was no record where the remaining 400 kw was being utilised.
The powerhouse has 55 employees most of whom remain absent from duty. Strangely, each employee is enjoying 600 units free electricity which they scrounge up to 4,000 units by subletting free electricity to others.
The local powerhouse has five generators which are never operated even though fuel was provided for them by the local administration. The consumers said the resident engineer of the power house had refused to operate the generators. The consumers alleged that essential parts of the generators had already been sold out by the officials.
ISLAMABAD: As Chitral is facing worst ever electricity crisis, a tug of war among the politicians coupled with rampant mismanagement and inefficiency of the local power utility officials have further compounded the miseries of the consumers leaving no room for resolution of the problem.
Though small hydropower units have been set up and are working efficiently even in remote villages of the valley through monetary and technical know-how provided by the private sector, power crisis in the main town having a population of about 40,000 has deteriorated during the last a couple of years.
The local power house generates about one megawatt; 1.2 megawatts are supplied from the Reshun hydropower station in the Mastuj tehsil while about 1.5 megawatts come from the national grid against the total demand of about three megawatts. However, the consumers allege that the Pesco officials show the production of Chitral town powerhouse at 600 kw and do not give account for the electricity coming from Reshun and the national grid.
The consumers say sufficient electricity is available in the town and more can be generated with ease, but local political leaders have messed up with the issue for their own vested interests. All the political leaders including the district nazim of Jamaat-i-Islami, a provincial minister belonging to the PPP and the PML-Q MNA have played games for their own vested interests. When one leader tries to resolve the issue, others waste no time to sabotage his efforts lest he gets credit for it.
Fed up with the power breakdowns some time stretching up to over 20 hours daily, thousands of consumers led by convener Movement for Restoration of Electricity Wg Cdr (retired) Fardad Ali Shah took to the streets recently demanding transparency in utilisation of the available electricity and investigation into alleged mismanagement, corruption and misuse of authority by the Pesco officials. Members of the movement claimed that the local power station was producing over one megawatt, its maximum rated output with two turbines, but there was no record where the remaining 400 kw was being utilised.
The powerhouse has 55 employees most of whom remain absent from duty. Strangely, each employee is enjoying 600 units free electricity which they scrounge up to 4,000 units by subletting free electricity to others.
The local powerhouse has five generators which are never operated even though fuel was provided for them by the local administration. The consumers said the resident engineer of the power house had refused to operate the generators. The consumers alleged that essential parts of the generators had already been sold out by the officials.
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