The Tribal Areas Electric Supply Company (Tesco) has issued final notices to 13 government departments to pay their outstanding dues – collectively amounting to almost Rs800 million – by the end of December, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) officials told The Express Tribune on Monday.
Certain government departments, including political administration offices and armed forces installations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) owe hundreds of millions of rupees to Tesco which is becoming a cause of great concern for the power supply company.
All field teams have been given strict instructions to recover the dues, even from government departments; failing to do so will result in suspension of electricity supply, warned Tesco CEO Pervez Khankhel Swati.
Swati added the arrears were weighing heavily on the company’s financial standing. He stressed that state departments would not be given special preference and that electricity would be cut off if the payment deadlines are not met.
Tesco spokesperson Anwar Khan said the company has recovered outstanding dues worth Rs34.07 million from government-run institutions and offices in tribal areas during the last three months. However, the company still has to recover a huge sum, he added.
Khan reiterated that supply would be cut off if the departments do not pay their dues by the end of the year.
Of the departments, the Water Management Department owes the greatest amount: Rs190 million. Other defaulters include the health, education, irrigation and power, and work and services departments.
Government colleges in the area also owe a considerable amount, approximately Rs798 million, to the power supply company.
Government departments’ unpaid dues
1. Water Management department Rs191.7 million
2. Work and Services department Rs98.6 million
3. Irrigation and Power department Rs97.8 million
4. Health department Rs66.7 million
5. Political Agents in Fata Rs57.4 million
6. Frontier Corps Rs53.8 million
7. Fata Deputy Commissioner’s office Rs47.6 million
8. Militia Scouts Rs40.8 million
9. Education department Rs39.3 million
10. Cadet College Razmak Rs6.6 million
11. Garrison Engineers Army Rs36.3 million
12. Agriculture Engineering department Rs17.1 million
13. Frontier Constabulary Rs14.9 million
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2012
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