A grid station employee while requesting anonymity said Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) chief has issued clear-cut instructions to the grid station officials throughout Fata to provide one hour of electricity per day. He said the employees could do nothing to counter outages since supply had been blocked from Peshawar and Hayatabad grid stations.
The employee also maintained that grid station officials were bound to obey the orders of senior officials, as important decisions had already been taken in a meeting between the Tesco chief and grid officials from all over Fata.
This has created another serious problem – lack of potable water. All tube wells in Landikotal are now dysfunctional due to excessive power outages. Local people have described outages as ‘discrimination’ against tribal people. They strongly condemned the Tesco chief’s decision saying that the outages had left them with unmet water needs. They demanded the government to take strong notice of the situation.
Political stance
Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) central council member from Khyber Agency Qari Jehad Shah Afridi said the tactics of Tesco officials may compel tribal people to further disrupt life in Fata. He was of the view that Tesco officials should be held responsible if Fata’s angry population takes the law into their own hands. He also warned that JUI-F will protest on the Pak-Afghan Highway and stop Nato supplies if electricity was not restored. He said people in Jamrud and Landikotal, due to the ‘inhumane’ power outages, had been deprived of their basic rights.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President of Khyber Agency Haji Iqbal Afridi echoed JUI-F’s stance as he said Tesco officials were involved in conspiracies against the tribal people, since they sold electricity to industries in Hayatabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2011.
COMMENTS (4)
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UM PTI is engaged in a conspiracy against the Tribal People. The Tribal People want the Taliban and other terrorists destroyed. PTI wants to nurture the terrorists. Read the blog post about Pathan vs. Dharna Dude. PTI has no clue about how to save FATA.
While youa are right Gul bahadur that they should pay bills first, and then expect electricity. However, it is our governments lack of will and incapability that authorities cannot rever dues. Is it a solution to cut power off? Do we understand what will happen as a result? Who is responsible for this situation?
Like every body,I mean other than WAPDA employees,they should also pay electricity bills.