Rs4b and counting: People who do not pay their bills

Up to 22 hours of power cuts in North Waziristan as locals, govt depts avoid paying bills.

MIRANSHAH:

It’s a simple equation: the residents of North Waziristan Agency don’t get any electricity because they do not pay bills.

They face up to 20 to 22 hours of power cuts in a day but would rather threaten officials collecting bills than pay up. The government departments in the agency are just as bad.

An official of the Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO), requesting anonymity, said that the power cuts are being observed due to arrears worth billions of rupees. He added that if the government departments just pay their dues, they will reduce the duration of the power cuts.

The residents of the agency owe TESCO over Rs4 billion in unpaid bills. Rast Baz Khan, a senior revenue official in Bannu, told The Express Tribune that TESCO has to pay the bills from its own pocket, as “all” residents of the agency are defaulters. They and the government departments have not paid bills since 2003, he added.

“If the tribesmen and the government just pay up only half of the debts to TESCO, they will install a new power station that could provide uninterrupted supply to the agency,” he added.



Khan added that the army has to pay Rs20.5 million, Cadet College Razmak Rs37.2 million, Public Health Department Rs50.9 million, Political Administration office Rs7.9 million, Health Department Rs7.7 million, Education Department Rs3.5 million, Communication and Works Department Rs3.4 million, Tochi Scouts Rs2.8 million, and Livestock Department Rs2.4 million.

“We have requested them several times to pay just half of the bills,” he said, adding that not only did the defaulters refuse but also threatened them.

A unique way of collecting bills

The TESCO officials seem to have resorted to a unique method of generating funds.

Residents say they are asked to pay pre-designated amounts of money in lieu of electricity charges for various government services.



Dil Nawaz Wazir, a resident of Mada Khel, said that when he visited the political administration office to get his Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), he was asked to pay Rs500 as electricity bill.

He may even consider this fine, if his area had any electricity. “We have lived without power all our lives. I told them why would I pay for electricity when I don’t have it?”

He was told to pay up, or he will not get his CNIC processed.

Another resident, Niaz Muhammad Khan of Shawal Tehsil, visited the Miranshah passport headquarters to get his passport.

He was asked to pay up Rs400 as electricity bill. He said earlier they would deposit the money in the National Bank, but now the officials are taking the money themselves, without giving a receipt.

The political administration officials refused to comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2013.