QESCO’s circular debt hits Rs550b, Senate panel told

Power company’s CEO says Rs5b being added to this amount every month

ISLAMABAD:

The circular debt of the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) has reached Rs550 billion, with Rs5 billion being added to it every month, its chief executive officer on Wednesday told a Senate panel.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Power, presided over by its chairman Senator Saifullah Abro, was further informed by Qesco officials that they were providing electricity for six hours for tube-wells within their jurisdiction.

Senator Prince Omar Ahmadzai, a member of the committee, pointed out that the provision of electricity to farmers for only six hours was inexcusable.

He added that the farmers also needed electricity for the remaining 18 hours of the day.

The chairman of the panel inquired why Qesco was unable to recover its dues.

Its CEO complained that the Balochistan government was not assisting Qesco for this purpose.

The officials of the Power Division asked him why Qesco had not formed a committee on this matter yet.

The chairman of the committee intervened that Qesco could not be held entirely responsible for the issue.

He questioned what role the Power Division was playing to address this matter.

Abro maintained that the officials wanted to destroy the country and considered the government’s money to be that of the enemy.

Earlier this month, the Balochistan Growers Action Committee (GAC) had blocked all highways across the province against unscheduled power outages.

Intra-district transport remained suspended because of the protests, creating problems for commuters.

Syed Abdul Qahar Agha, the central leader of the GAC claimed that Qesco had been deliberately resorting to a 20-hour power outage across Balochistan on a daily basis.

He said unannounced and prolonged power cuts had severely damaged the standing crops and fruit orchards across the province.

The committee was also given a briefing by the additional secretary (power) on the recent countrywide electricity shutdown.

The Power Division officials told the committee that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed a body to ascertain the reasons behind the breakdown.

They added that a report prepared by that body was also presented to the cabinet.

The officials further said after the body was formed by the premier, no further committee was constituted to investigate the power breakdown.

The Senate committee had instructed the Power Division to conduct a departmental inquiry into the shutdown.