Electricity woes: IESCO seeks massive hike in power rates
If approved, the electricity rate in Islamabad may rise by up to nearly 60%.
ISLAMABAD:
The residents of the capital city, already perturbed by inflation and rising economic uncertainty, are in for another surprise. The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) is likely to raise power tariffs by up to Rs5.60 per unit.
If approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), the power tariff in Islamabad may increase by up to 60 per cent. Already deprived of electricity for hours, the consumers are now being asked to bear the brunt of IESCO’s expenditures, employees’ salaries, allowances, line losses and power thefts. However, according to IESCO, the proposed increase in tariff will allow the company to overcome its losses, which are currently estimated to be in billions of rupees. The application will be taken up during a public hearing on August 29.
Meanwhile, IESCO has also given a deadline of August 27 to all government and semi-government organisations to submit their outstanding payments or face power suspension.
According to official sources, all defaulting organisations have been served with notices, while the IESCO has also issued newspaper advertisements for this purpose. Sources said that these organisations haven’t paid their dues since July 2011, due to which IESCO is suffering huge losses.
CDA to generate own electricity
Meanwhile, Capital Development Authority Chairman Engineer Farkhand Iqbal said that the CDA is planning to install its own power plants to generate electricity in the capital city.
Addressing a delegation comprising CDA Labour Union President Aurangzeb Khan and General Secretary Chaudhry Muhammad Yaseen on Thursday, he said that the civic agency will install power plants C:16 and C:17, following which the CDA will be able to generate its own electricity without any reliance on the Water and Power Development Authority.
He also urged the labourers and workers of CDA to cooperate with him in eliminating the perception of CDA being a “corrupt agency”.
In addition to that, he directed all concerned departments of the civic agency to recover outstanding tax from all defaulters within one week and come up with a cohesive strategy for tax collection in future.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2012.
The residents of the capital city, already perturbed by inflation and rising economic uncertainty, are in for another surprise. The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) is likely to raise power tariffs by up to Rs5.60 per unit.
If approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), the power tariff in Islamabad may increase by up to 60 per cent. Already deprived of electricity for hours, the consumers are now being asked to bear the brunt of IESCO’s expenditures, employees’ salaries, allowances, line losses and power thefts. However, according to IESCO, the proposed increase in tariff will allow the company to overcome its losses, which are currently estimated to be in billions of rupees. The application will be taken up during a public hearing on August 29.
Meanwhile, IESCO has also given a deadline of August 27 to all government and semi-government organisations to submit their outstanding payments or face power suspension.
According to official sources, all defaulting organisations have been served with notices, while the IESCO has also issued newspaper advertisements for this purpose. Sources said that these organisations haven’t paid their dues since July 2011, due to which IESCO is suffering huge losses.
CDA to generate own electricity
Meanwhile, Capital Development Authority Chairman Engineer Farkhand Iqbal said that the CDA is planning to install its own power plants to generate electricity in the capital city.
Addressing a delegation comprising CDA Labour Union President Aurangzeb Khan and General Secretary Chaudhry Muhammad Yaseen on Thursday, he said that the civic agency will install power plants C:16 and C:17, following which the CDA will be able to generate its own electricity without any reliance on the Water and Power Development Authority.
He also urged the labourers and workers of CDA to cooperate with him in eliminating the perception of CDA being a “corrupt agency”.
In addition to that, he directed all concerned departments of the civic agency to recover outstanding tax from all defaulters within one week and come up with a cohesive strategy for tax collection in future.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2012.