Exercise of power: 3 MEPCO officials suspended on minister’s visit

‘Qadirabad Coal Plant to help lessen load-shedding’


Owais Qarni August 29, 2016
‘Qadirabad Coal Plant to help lessen load-shedding’ PHOTO: REUTERS

SAHIWAL: Federal Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali suspended an SDO, a meter reader and a meter inspector during a surprise visit to the Multan Electric Power Company’s office in Sahiwal on Monday. He also spoke to people who had visited the office to complain about being overbilled.

Speaking to journalists at the MEPCO office, Ali said he had visited the office to hear citizens’ complaints and to solve their problems on priority. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz led government placed great store in serving the masses, he said. “There is no room for lazy and incompetent people.”

He suspended SDO Khalid Kamboh, Muhammad Asif Khan, a meter reader, and Ghulam Mustafa, a meter inspector, for negligence in billing. Superintendent Engineer (SE) Muhammad Siddique found out about the minister’s arrival half an hour after he had arrived at the office. Ali took notice of that. Imtiaz Ahmad Butt, a PML-N leader, had accompanied him on the visit.

“We will weed out officers who only add to the miseries of people instead of helping them,” Ali said. “Negligent officers would be penalised.”

The minister accused previous governments of “wreaking havoc” on the power sector. He said the PML-N had a solid strategy to overcome problems of overbilling and unscheduled load-shedding. The strategy would be unveiled in the coming months. “We are not here to lord over citizens like monarchs, but to serve the people.” He said the present government had taken strict action against several corrupt officers and registered against them. “This is unprecedented…we will end corruption come what may.”

He urged citizens to be patient with regard to unscheduled load-shedding. “The situation will improve when electricity from the Qadirabad Coal Power Plant is added to the main grid.”

The minister directed officers to stick to the schedule of load-shedding for six hours in urban areas and eight hours in rural areas. He promised citizens that he would hold an open court to hear their problems after Eidul Azha. “The superintending engineer will be held responsible for any problems in the future,” Ali said. He went over the list of electricity bill defaulters and directed officials to terminate their power connections without delay.

To a question regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s on-going accountability movement, Ali said that PTI chief Imran Khan was trying to stir up trouble needlessly. “The people have rejected his movement.” The minister discussed several energy projects in the pipeline and said those projects would hopefully be completed by 2018 – the year of the next general elections. “Our rivals’ hopes of coming into power will be dashed.”

Adviser to ombudsman hears complaints

Adviser to Federal Ombudsman Colonel (r) Baqir heard various complaints of overbilling by the MEPCO and the Sui Northern Gas on Monday. He asked the complainants to bring along pictorial evidence of overbilling.

He was hearing the complaints at the provincial ombudsman’s regional office. As many as 25 citizens had filed complaints against the two departments.

The adviser directed the MEPCO to extend economic relief of Rs55,000 and crossed off 3,847 excess units to provide relief to two complainants. He also told the MEPCO to extend relief to a complainant from Liaqatpur who had unnecessarily paid TV fees for two years.

On another complaint regarding electricity supply, the MEPCO assured Baqir they would install two electricity poles in an area of Lodhran mentioned in the complaint.

The next hearing pertaining to complaints would be held on September 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2016.

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