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The Minister announced that contracts with 12 Independent Power Producers (IPPs), including those utilizing bagasse, had been evaluated; negotiations have concluded for an additional 15 IPPs.

Published

9 hours ago

Farwa

Owais Leghari, the federal minister of energy, disclosed that power rates are already falling as a result of renegotiations with independent power providers (IPPs), with more substantial relief possible.

After the agreements are finalized, the minister tells the National Assembly’s Power Committee that power rates could drop by Rs 10–12 per unit.

Leghari revealed that IPP-imposed capacity charges account for 75% of electricity expenses. “The public is being affected by the revision of these agreements,” he said, adding that agreements with 12 IPPs—including those that use bagasse—had been examined and negotiations for 15 more have been concluded.

“These changes will be approved by the cabinet next week, and within a month, decisions about captive power plants will be made,” he continued.

“The minister also announced that eight bagasse power plant adjustments have been approved and that five IPP contracts have been terminated. 16 more IPPs, including government-owned facilities, are now in talks. These renegotiations have already resulted in an electricity pricing reduction of Rs 4 per unit for domestic consumers.

Leghari addressed the issue of electricity theft in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and charged that the provincial government had not cooperated in spite of previous agreements. Before agreeing to cut off illicit connections, he disclosed that the KP chief minister had insisted on an unfettered supply of electricity to feeders with high rates of theft.

Leghari stated, “We carried out this agreement for 75 days, but the provincial administration did not take down the hooks, which cost our company an additional Rs 6 billion.”

Concerns about the continuous load shedding in KP were voiced by members of the load shedding and K-Electric tariff committee, which led to additional talks. “We do not believe that the proposed tariff is justified,” Leghari said, criticizing K-Electric’s multi-year tariff as a significant burden on consumers.

Walkout
At the meeting, committee members Shehryar Mehr, Sher Ali Arbab, and Junaid Akbar walked out in protest of a plan to discuss electricity supply company issues in Hyderabad and Sukkur behind closed doors.

In particular, by renegotiating contracts with IPPs and resolving inefficiencies, the energy minister reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing the financial burden on consumers through energy sector reforms.

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‘Green City’ is how LHC sees Multan in order to combat pollution.

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3 hours ago

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On Friday, officials were ordered by the Lahore High Court to turn Multan into a “green city” in order to lessen the consequences of environmental pollution.

On Tahir Jamal’s petition, LHC Justice Jawad Hassan rendered a thorough decision.

In order to have its own 2020 order put into effect, the petitioner had prayed before the court.

The responsible officials were instructed by the court to create a strong plan for turning Multan into a green city.

All departments were instructed to designate spokespersons by the LHC.

All parties involved in this matter must be consulted, according to the specified instructions.

A long-term strategy is needed to address Multan’s environmental contamination and declining AQI, according to Justice Jawad Hassan.

Every department was ordered by the court to provide a report on a monthly basis.

The written directive stated that Multan’s efforts to address the pollution were insufficient.

The director general of PHA Multan told the court that 14,825 trees were planted in the city in 2024.

According to the director general of PHA, DG Khan, 28,471 trees were planted in 2024.

10,560 trees were planted in private housing societies by the Multan Development Authority, it was further said.

The court ordered that the matter be heard on the first Tuesday of each month.

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Road accidents in Karachi claim six lives.

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3 hours ago

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Throughout Karachi, at least six people have died in road accidents in the past 24 hours.

When a water tanker struck their motorcycles on Shahrah-e-Millat Road close to Baloch Colony, two individuals were killed and one was injured. Angry residents set the tanker on fire after the driver left the site of the collision.

Two motorcycle riders were killed in another incident at Baldia Town’s Hub River Road after being struck by a water tanker. The tanker driver escaped as well.

Separately, a Coast Guard officer died after being hurt in an accident close to Kathore. The motorist left, leaving their car parked close by. The driver has been reported, and an investigation is being conducted to find them.

Near Chamra Chowrangi in Korangi, a motorcyclist was hit by a car, forcing the motorcycle to tumble into a sewer. The automobile driver fled the scene after one person died.

The governor of Sindh voiced his alarm about these occurrences and asked the IG Sindh for a report. Additionally, he instructed the authorities to take strong measures against the guilty.

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LBA elections are due to take place.

Published

3 hours ago

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2,000 to 3,000 teachers will be retired by the Punjab School Education Department as part of a revamped strategy that emphasizes early retirement.

According to sources on Friday, instructors who have completed matriculation would be given preference for this type of retirement. The choice to voluntarily retire has also been made available to educators up to the age of fifty. All teachers in this age range have had their data requested by the department.

See also: Flop or Fix? An outline of the educational conundrum

The Chief Secretary has received a request to change the retirement rules, according to confirmation from the School Education Department. Teachers are only eligible for early retirement under the existing regulations if they are 55 years of age or older.