Islamabad: Government ne teen mazeed power plants ko apni private list mein dobara shamil karne ka faisla kar liya hai, jin mein Jamshoro Power Plant aur do LNG-based bijli ghar shamil hain.
Prime Minister’s Advisor for Privatization Muhammad Ali ne kaha ke ye power plants pehle mukhtalif reasons ki wajah se list se nikaal diye gaye thay, lekin ab in ki privatization dobara amal mein lai ja rahi hai.
Islamabad mein hone wale consultative meeting mein Advisor ne kaha ke agar distribution companies (DISCOs) ko private na kiya gaya to mulk ko severe financial difficulties ka samna karna par sakta hai.
Unho ne kaha ke bijli ke sector ko saalana taqreeban 1.2 trillion rupees ki subsidy di ja rahi hai jo price difference, loan repayments aur power theft jaise nuqsanaat ko poora karne ke liye hai.
Ijlas mein bataya gaya ke agarche private sector mein shamil karne se performance improvement ki umeed hai, lekin uniform tariff aur subsidy policy barqarar rahegi.
Muhammad Ali ke mutabiq uniform tariff policy ek socio-economic necessity hai, jis ke tahat kam kaarkardagi walay ilaqon ke consumers bhi wohi rates ada karte hain jo behtar companies ke consumers par lagu hotay hain. Is surat mein Punjab ke consumers indirectly Sindh aur Balochistan ke consumers ko subsidy faraham karte hain.
Government ne ibtidaai tor par Islamabad (IESCO), Faisalabad (FESCO) aur Gujranwala (GEPCO) ko private karne ke liye international financial advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal ko muqarrar kiya hai.
Advisor ke mutabiq ibtidaai market assessment mukammal kar liya gaya hai aur transaction structure jald final shakal ikhtiyar karega, jab ke aanay walay hafton mein investors se Expression of Interest (EOIs) ki darkhwastein talab ki jaengi.
Former Chairman NEPRA Tauseer Farooqi ne umeed zahir ki ke private process mein mulazimeen ki taraf se resistance ka samna nahi hoga, kyun ke bijli ke sector mein union activities par Presidential Ordinance ke tehat pabandi hai.
Managing Director (MD) Power Planning & Monitoring Company Abid Latif ke mutabiq tamam sharaait poori kar li gayi hain. World Bank ne tajwez di hai ke private karne se pehle tamam 10 distribution companies ke shares President of Pakistan ke naam transfer kiye jaen aur government new power policy tayyar kare taake idaray technical aur financial losses mein kami la saken.
Yaad rahe ke guzishta saal August mein Federal Cabinet ne teen distribution companies ko private karne ki manzoori di thi, lekin ab tak kisi bari sarkari company ko competitive bidding ke zariye private nahi kiya ja saka.
