Pointing fingers: Goldsmiths blame Sepco for faulty transformer
Power utility also fiddling with our billing, says Rasheed Daudpota.
SUKKUR:
Goldsmiths staged a demonstration against the Sukkur Electric Supply Company (Sepco) in Sarrafa Bazaar on Thursday. They claimed that the company did not replace a damaged transformer and issues inflated bills.
Led by Rasheed Daudpoto and Mohammad Irfan, the shopkeepers closed their shops and gathered on the road shouting against Sepco officials. They suspended traffic for 30 minutes.
Daudpoto said that their area’s transformer broke down three days ago, but despite repeated requests, Sepco officials neither replaced nor repaired the transformer. According to him, the summer heat made it almost impossible to continue business without electricity.
“We are forced to run generators to carry out business, but generators cannot be used all the time,” said Daudpota.
He also condemned the fact that on one hand, “Sepco subjects us to load shedding, and on the other it issues us inflated bills.” Most of the shopkeepers have paid their electricity bills in advance, he added.
Daudpota claimed that the Sepco meter readers were not recording readings and were instead recording 500 to 700 units in advance. “Whenever we visit them, officials tell us to pay the bill now and assure us that next month we will get the correct bill.”
According to the sub-division-II Sukkur officer, Rukhsar Qureshi, most of the shopkeepers’ bills have been corrected. The officer also assured that the transformer would be replaced.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 22nd, 2011.
Goldsmiths staged a demonstration against the Sukkur Electric Supply Company (Sepco) in Sarrafa Bazaar on Thursday. They claimed that the company did not replace a damaged transformer and issues inflated bills.
Led by Rasheed Daudpoto and Mohammad Irfan, the shopkeepers closed their shops and gathered on the road shouting against Sepco officials. They suspended traffic for 30 minutes.
Daudpoto said that their area’s transformer broke down three days ago, but despite repeated requests, Sepco officials neither replaced nor repaired the transformer. According to him, the summer heat made it almost impossible to continue business without electricity.
“We are forced to run generators to carry out business, but generators cannot be used all the time,” said Daudpota.
He also condemned the fact that on one hand, “Sepco subjects us to load shedding, and on the other it issues us inflated bills.” Most of the shopkeepers have paid their electricity bills in advance, he added.
Daudpota claimed that the Sepco meter readers were not recording readings and were instead recording 500 to 700 units in advance. “Whenever we visit them, officials tell us to pay the bill now and assure us that next month we will get the correct bill.”
According to the sub-division-II Sukkur officer, Rukhsar Qureshi, most of the shopkeepers’ bills have been corrected. The officer also assured that the transformer would be replaced.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 22nd, 2011.