Cut-off point: Multan’s powerless local government

MEPCO disconnects electricity to several govt offices to recover Rs3b default.

MULTAN:

Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar has ordered that power supply to all government offices which have defaulted on their power bills be revoked.

It was recently revealed that several government bodies in the country have defaulted on their power bills and Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) is owed over Rs 3 billion. Mepco has been providing electricity to an area of 105,000 sq km in southern and central Punjab and is also the largest power supply unit for water and power authorities.

Mepco spokesperson Jamshaid Niazi recently revealed that Mepco had issued several notices to all major government office but had not received any response. “This compelled the higher authorities to cut off power connections for all defaulters because this has caused severe financial problems for Mepco,” he said.

The Water and Sanitary Agency (Wasa) department working in the area has defaulted on Rs370 million. Other government departments include health, agriculture, food, livestock, postal, excise and taxation and income tax. “Government offices will suffer but it is the people who will suffer the most because these offices are responsible for their welfare,” he said. “We had no choice but to cut off connections. The government offices simply don’t listen any other way,” said Niazi.

Mepco has restored connections to Wasa, several water purification plants and Solid Waste Management offices on special instructions from the prime minister. The prime minister recently submitted Rs50 million in the account of the district government to deal with the situation.

Locals throughout the district have protested against the power cuts. Most of the offices that have been targeted by Mepco cater to hundreds of local citizens on a daily basis. Portesters said that Wasa , food and postal offices were most severely affected by the power cuts and hundreds of people who visited the offices to file complaints.

Staff at the offices have also complained that the power cuts have had a devastating effect on daily activities. “How can one expect us to serve the public if there is no electricity in our own offices,” said Health Department official Rehman  Safdar.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2011.