Curbing losses: Power supply cut off over non-payment of dues

PESCO warns to initiate legal action if outstanding bills are not paid.

PESHAWAR:

To overcome losses amounting to Rs3 billion per month, the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) disconnected supply to various localities in the province that had not paid their dues.

Carrying out its ‘Disconnection and Recovery Campaign’, Pesco officials in Warsak–II sub-division   disconnected power supply of 50 kilovolt amps (KVA) to Sadiqabad, Pesco spokesperson Shaukat Afzal said, adding, “During the campaign, officials also traced 20 direct power connections against which FIRs have been lodged in the concerned police stations.”

He added the Pesco team of Gul Bela sub-division cut off power supply of four 50 KVA transformers and two 25 KVA transformers in Garhi Chandan.

On the detection of illegal power connections in Haryana Bala and Railway Lines Peshawar under Shahi Bagh and Daudzai sub-divisions, FIRs against 18 people were registered, Afzal added.

In the southern region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), electricity of Banda Sweri was also disconnected.

In Darsamand area of Hangu sub-division, power supply of 1,150 defaulters was severed after they failed to pay up Rs40 million worth of bills.

Speaking about Pesco’s disconnection campaign in the northern region of K-P, Afzal said power was cut off in Khanzada Kallay, Bacha Kallay, Jamadar Kallay and Khan Pur Kallay li of Mardan circle for the same reason.

“Defaulters have been warned to pay their dues, otherwise, electricity will not be restored and legal action will be initiated against them,” Afzal said, adding due to illegal use of electricity in these areas, transformers overload and crash, causing frequent power breakdowns.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2013.