As many as 200 villages under Moro tehsil are facing power outages
IMAMABAD, MORO: The people of interior Sindh are leading a miserable life without electricity for over six months and the government pays little heed towards their suffering. As many as 200 villages under Moro tehsil are facing power outages. The inhabitants of these localities are the underprivileged farmers and growers. With temperature rising to 50 Celsius, one can barely continue to live a normal life without electricity.
On top of that, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) officials give annoying statements alleging that residents have outstanding bills worth millions and will only resume electricity once the bills are cleared. Local officers have been blackmailing residents and withdrawing hefty amounts in the form of corruption, even though the villagers have regularly paid their bills.
The poor and voiceless are frightened of deduction charges, while I believe that Wapda officials with the connivance of outlaws are minting money. They sell electricity to power-filchers at wholesale prices. This sleazy and disguised business has been on the rise for a very long time, but the mainstream media does not bother to uncover this heinous practice.
Success of such a nasty business has multifarious reasons, from economic, political to cultural. For instance, the constituencies that voted against the PPP government are kept in the dark, while those in favour are enjoying electricity even if consumers are defaulters or lawbreakers.
In those localities, Wapda’s staff amasses money on a monthly basis by letting consumers use high-consumption items like ACs, tube-wells and mills. What is worse is that this constituency elected two MPAs and one federal minster who are enjoying their vacations in London and Murree. Although electricity is a federal subject, the federal minster doesn’t bother to raise this issue.
The people of Imamabad village and adjacent areas have faith in the apex court to lessen the suffering and question the authorities concerned for prolonged absence and abuse of electricity in Moro tehsil, Sindh.
Ashfak Siyal
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2017.
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