IPPs brain child of Benazir's government: Ashraf

Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf emotionally stated that IPPs producing 5000 MW of electricity were the brainchild of Benazir Bhutto's government, for which they have to bear unprecedented mudslinging. But now IPPs contribution is helping in reducing load shedding to a great extent. We will end load shedding by 2010, he added.
This he said while replying to a supplementary question by Mohammad Mohsin Ali Qureshi, who alleged that SDOs and XENs are involved in power theft in connivance with the industrialist at the expense of poor household consumers.
However relying to his original question about total number of industrial and domestic consumers in Kot Addu, the minister said there are: 76061 domestic consumers and 840 industrial consumers in Tehsil Kot Addu.
Answering a supplementary question Farooq A. Naek, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs said offices of the Chairmen of Standing Committees would be constructed on 2.2 acres of land available south of the Parliamentary Lodges.
Member NA Azhar Fazal Pecheho sought about escalation in the old cost of these buildings, which were estimated at Rs 1440 million. The minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs said that the approval of escalation in cost would be added to the earlier estimates.
On another supplementary question by Mrs Shakeela Khanum, about the raising of Mangla dam, the Minister for Water and Power said it would be completed in September 2008. On a question about Malakand Hydel Power Project, the Minister said, "we will use all our means to increase power generation".
In reply to a query by Dr Mehreen Anwar Raja Advocate (MNA), about the cost of Mangla dam raising and its power generation capacity, the minister said, "I don't have the exact figures now but I will present them in the house."
The Minister for Water and Power commenting on alternate sources of energy said that all possible means would be utilised to harness alternate sources wherever they are available.
Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state the time by which the power plant installed at Shahpur, Sargodha become functional? Raja Pervaiz Ashraf stated, "As informed by PPIB the 150 MW Shahpur Energy Power Project is expected to be completed by December 2012.
Dr Donya Aziz asked the Minister Incharge of the Establishment Division to state whether there was any proposal to fill up the vacant posts in DMG, Police and Secretariat groups in B-20 and B-21 during the year, 2007-08; if so, the number of those positions separately?
Minister Incharge of the Establishment Division said there were proposals to fill up vacant posts in BS-20 and BS-21 in May and June 2008 respectively. Number of vacancies will, however, be determined at the time of consideration of the proposals.