Hydel profit arrears

Federal government has agreed to pay hydel profit arrears Rs. 8.5 billion to Khyber Pukhtunkhwa for the purchase of electricity from two power stations of 81 megawatt Malakand P-3 and 18 megawatt Pehur. Golangol hydel power station in Chittral has also come into operation and injecting 40 megawatt into the national grid, the net profit of this power station is yet to be calculated. In Kohistan, Mutilthan hydel power station of 80 megawatt is near completion.

The cash strapped province is not regularly getting hydel profit for Tarbellahydel power station and the accumulated arrears has reached to one third of its annual budget. During the current fiscal not a single installment of hydel profits has been released to the province. The stoppage of hydel profit installments certainly disturbs the resource allocation for the ongoing schemes of people’s uplift in the province. Previously, the delay in payment of hydel profits was understandable as there were governments of two different political parties in the center and provinces. But now PTI is in power both in the center and provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. Hence, suspension of hydel profit installments is beyond comprehension.