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The public and private sectors owe around Rs211 billion to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) on account of utility charges, which is even more than this year’s revised development budget of Rs180 billion, a government official said.
The private sector owes Rs127 billion to Wapda while Rs83 billion is payable by government departments, Federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar told the Senate here on Wednesday.
“Incentives for waiver from late payment surcharge will be given to the defaulting government departments if they clear their dues up to June 30,” he said in a written reply to the house.
Provincial finance secretaries are pursuing cases for recovery of outstanding dues from major departments of provincial governments, he said.
According to details, private and public sectors in Sindh have to pay dues of Rs67 billion for the last three years, while Rs57 billion is payable by private and public sectors of Punjab in the same period.
Private and public sectors of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) owe Rs31 billion for the three-year period while Balochistan’s private and public sectors owe around Rs18 billion.
The finance ministry and additional chief secretary of Fata are regularly keeping dues collectors in loop about the billing and the amount required to be paid by the departments concerned, Qamar stated.
Meanwhile, Qamar told the house that Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) officials recovered Rs1.15 trillion from defaulters over the last three years. According to details, Pepco recovered Rs928 billion from the private sector and Rs220 billion from government departments.
Pepco officials recovered Rs863 billion from the private and public sectors in Punjab while public and private sectors of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa paid Rs186 billion since 2008. From Sindh, Pepco recovered Rs69 billion in the three-year period. Pepco also recovered Rs37 billion from the private and public sectors of Balochistan.
Qamar said officers have been tasked with initiating recovery from defaulting government and private consumers in installments. Field formations have also been directed to disconnect connections, where necessary, for recovery of outstanding dues.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2011.
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