ABBOTTABAD: State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali on Monday claimed that the recovery of power arrears was improving in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in Hazara division.

`During the last three months, an unbelievable recovery of stuck electricity dues has been seen in Hazara division, where Behsam feeder has reported recovery of Rs6 million dues in May 2014 alone though Rs11.36 million was recovered during the entire 2013. Likewise, in Dubair feeder, the total recovery of duesfrom July 2013 to April 2014 was only Rs1.34 million but the amount remarkably went up to Rs2.7 million in May 2014. All this shows our efforts to recover arrears are bearing fruit, he told a open kutcheri here.

The minister also said the Wapda recovered Rs1.4 million in the Thakot feeder of Kohistan district from July 2013 to April 2014 but the amount surged to Rs3.5 million in May 2014 alone.

He said every feeder, especially those, which earlier showed huge losses, were showing remarkable arrear recovery.

Mr Abid Sher said 132KV facilities would be installed in Hattar, Haripur and Abbottabad during the current year, while 222KV installations, 132 KV each for Havelian, Haripur and Behsam, were planned for Mansehra to minimise low voltage problem.

He said he was against any province or its people over power theftand treated all parts of the country equally.

`My effigy was burnt in some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but I won`t mind it because my aim is to fill power supply and gap and I am taking bold steps for it,` he said.

The minister said the government had planned to reduce electricity price from Rs16 per unit to Rs9 per unit in the next few years for the relief of the people. He also said there were plans to improve outdated transmission system and reduce line losses through newly-introduced 480 checkpoints installed on different feeders, where power received and consumed was reconciled.

Mr Abid Sher said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had ordered the early end to power crisis and therefore, the ministry was taking corrective measures on war footing.

He said the prime minister has issued orders to provide the maximumrelief to the people during Ramazan and that there would be no loadshedding at the time of taraveeh, iftar and sehar throughout the country.

The minister said introduction of a new system meant to check line losses was on the cards and that under the system, people would be asked to install power meters.

He said efforts were being made to check overbilling for which the system used by the gas department to record reading would be followed.

On the occasion, Mr Abid Sher issued orders to the relevant authorities for action on the complaints of people from Kohistan, Battagram, Haripur, Mansehra, Oghi, Alai and Abbottabad.

Deputy speaker of the National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi, MPAs Aurangzeb Nulhota, Abdus Sattar Khan and Saleh Mohammad Khan and senior Pesco officials were also present on the occasion.