PESHAWAR: Reacting to the excessive loadshedding in the province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has warned his government would close down the main offices of Wapda in Peshawar.

`My government has decided to lock up Wapda House once the assembly passes the budget. As the house has passed the budget, we are going to close the Wapda office,` he said in his concluding speech on the budget in the provin-cial assembly on Wednesday.

Castigating Wapda for unscheduled loadshedding in the province, the CM alleged that the authority was stealing 600 megawatts electricity in KP and did not release the province`s 13.5 per cent share from the national grid.

`Do what you can, but I am closing down Wapda House in Peshawar and was waiting for the budget to be passed,` he warned and sought the help of the opposition parties in the assembly against Wapda.

Mr. Khattak said loadshedding would be eliminated up to 50 per cent in the province if Wapda gave its due share from the national grid.

He said employees of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company, the power distribution entity in the province as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, were involved in illegal connections, power theft and other illegal prac-tices.

`Don`t blame us for the mess.

This is your (Wapda`s) responsibility to ensure recovery and stop power theft,` he said, adding that consumers had been suffering in the province.

The CM said Punjab and Sindh were getting due share from the national grid but the people of KP were being victimised.

In his hour-long speech, Mr.

Khattak highlighted the achievements of the Pal
He gave credit to opposition for supporting the government on critical issues with the centre, like China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and uncapping net hydel profit, but in the same vein he came down heavily on the previous government for corruption, bad governance and short sighted policies.

`We have treated poor people of this province like slaves and sup-pressed them. We deprived their children from getting quality education and health,` he remarked, `and I admit that I was part of that oppressive system.

The CM said schools and hospitals were constructed in the past, but teachers and doctors were not appointed. He assured lawmakers that doctors would be available in hospitals across the province by the end of 2017.

He said he would hold meeting with the officials of health department on weekly basis and would teach lesson if the department failed to bring change in hospitals.

`I am not satisfied with the performance of health department so far,` he added.

He informed that billons were allocated for provision of missing facilities in hospitals and schools.

Mr. Khattak also criticised bureaucracy and alleged that officers always attempted to misguidehim (Khattak) and ministers.

He said his government had ended political interference in police, health, education and other departments which was a big change.

The CM said the lawmakers` job was check flaws in the system not to involve themselves in posting and transfers.

`Pakistan can`t become a developed unless political interference is stopped,` he said.

Mr. Khattak said the federal government had always neglected KP and didn`t treat the province as part of the federation.

He said with the support of opposition parties, the centre had agreed to include the PeshawarDera Ismail Khan Expressway in the CPEC and construct an industrialpark alongthe corridor.

The CM said the centre would also build the Chashma Uplift Canal in southern districts of the province.