Unpaid dues: HESCO cuts 7,000 connections in two days

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), which supplies power to 13 districts of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah, has disconnected up to 7,000 connections in two days.

With almost Rs31 billion in outstanding payment claimed by the power distribution company over the Sindh government's departments, an electric supply disconnection drive has been set in place.

Around 14,420 connections of 265 departments of Sindh government will also be disconnected, said Hesco spokesperson Sadiq Kubar on Saturday. He added the health facilities as well as the water supply and drainage systems have been exempted from the disconnection campaign due to Ramazan.

The taluka municipal administrations of the local government department, public health engineering and Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority top the list of defaulters.



Hesco claims arrears of Rs1.74 billion against Salinity Control and Reclamation Project, Rs1.14 billion against Sindh police, Rs622 million against Auqaf department, Rs588 million against Water and Sanitation Authority (Wasa) and Rs139 million against a senior member of the Board of Revenue.

Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA) and Wasa have been issued bills totalling Rs17.5 million for the months of April and May, 2016, said Kubar. Both the organisations, which have faced frequent power supply disconnections over the last several years resulting in water scarcity and drainage problems in Hyderabad, have yet to clear the dues.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2016.