Tit for tat: Defaulting FESCO disconnects power supply to FBR office

FBR Additional Commissioner claims power company took action after Fesco’s bank accounts were frozen last week.

FAISALABAD:

The Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) on Tuesday disconnected power supply to the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) zonal office alleging that it had defaulted on electricity bills’ payment.

FBR Additional Commissioner Javaid Badar said a Fesco team and a police party had raided the FBR’s office and removed an electricity meter.

He claimed the power company had taken the action after Fesco’s bank accounts were frozen last week for not paying Rs5.37 billion in income tax.

He said Fesco authorities had told them that it had disconnected power supply over unpaid electricity bills. He said the FBR had no arrears. He said the FBR had to pay only this month’s bill of Rs735,000.



He said the Fesco had disconnected the power supply before the due date on the bill.

“They have apparently done this in a revenge attack. We froze their accounts last week. Now they have deprived us of electricity.” “They just want to create difficulties for us. Our online operations have been affected by this action.”

Badar said Fesco authorities had been sent several reminders but they had not paid Rs5.37 billion in income tax.

“We are left with no option but to freeze FESCO’s accounts,” he said.

Fesco spokesman Tahir Sheikh insisted that the FBR had defaulted on electricity payments. He said the Lahore High Court had ordered the FBR to release the company’s funds. But, he said, the FBR had not acted on the court’s order. He said the court had fixed April 30 for hearing of the case. He said the power company had been facing problems due to freezing of its bank accounts.

“We have been unable to run our affairs smoothly. We need money to buy fuel.”

Sheikh said the Fesco would be unable to pay salaries to its employees if its bank accounts were not released.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2014.