Sindh minister terms Punjab's relief in power bills a 'political stunt'

• What will happen after two months, asks Saeed Ghani.
• Scores of relief works could be done with Rs45bn, he says.
• Minister differs with Sardar Sarfaraz about Sukkur rain.
  

KARACHI: Demanding permanent relief for citizens, Sindh Minister for Local Government Saeed Ghani on Monday mocked the announcement about providing relief to people across Punjab for just two months, saying it was a political showoff.

The provincial minister's comment came in response to the Punjab government’s announcement of providing relief to the masses by slashing Rs14 per unit on electricity bills for two months — August and September.

In a presser on August 16, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif said the Punjab government had prepared a relief package by cutting the power tariff by Rs14 per unit for people consuming up to 500 units of electricity.

"The relief will be given in the bills of August and September," he had added.

The move drew criticism from other provinces with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) decrying the 'use of provincial card' in electricity-related issues.

It should be noted that the PML-N holds power in Punjab as well as in the Centre.

Talking to journalists inside the Sindh Assembly premises, Ghani said it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide people cost-efficient electricity.

"Rs45 billion are being expended for relief of two months only, while scores of relief works could be done with that Rs45 billion.

"The question is what will happen after two months. The consumers will be paying the same [high] prices," the PPP leader remarked.

Meanwhile, fearing a 'sense of despair' among the people of Sindh, Governor Kamran Tessori on Sunday had asked Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to announce a Punjab government-like relief in electricity bills.

Governor Tessori had cited Punjab government's example and asked CM Murad to allocate funds from the provincial budget for relief to the people.

"Sindh CM [Murad Ali Shah], like Punjab, should provide a relief of Rs14 per unit in electricity bills," he had said, saying that its denial may lead to a sense of despair among the people.

Sindh has 'own way of' measuring rain

Addressing the controversy of "record rains" in Sukkur, Ghani admitted that the figures of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and deputy commissioner were different.

He said it was because the Sindh government had its own way of measuring downpour in each taluka. Whereas, he said, the PMD had towers only in specific areas to measure rain.

Contrary to the Met Office report, he backed the district administration’s claim, saying that 281 millimetre rain was recorded in Sukkur city.

“Sukkur received five spells of torrential rains,” he said.

An official statement issued by the provincial authorities said on Sunday that Sukkur recorded record-breaking 290mm of rainfall in just a single day.

Sardar Sarfaraz, chief meteorologist at the PMD, on Monday rejected the claim regarding the record-breaking rainfall in Sukkur, terming it "wrong".

"116mm of rain was recorded in Sukkur in 48 hours. Rohri near Sukkur recorded 134mm rainfall," he said, speaking with Geo News.

Praising the administration, the minister said most of the city’s part was cleared of rainwater, while work on drainage of water in some areas was still underway.