Electricity bills: Balochistan districts in staggering default

Rs 85.76billion Is the total amount to be paid to the power and water ministry by different districts of Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD: A number of Balochistan districts are defaulters of the federal ministry of water and power and have to clear outstanding dues of Rs85.76billion, the upper house was informed on Tuesday.

In response to a question posed by Senator Heman Dass, Shiekh Aftab on behalf of the Minister of Water and Power Khuwaja Muhammad Asif, said almost all the districts of the province are defaulters of WAPDA.

According to the document placed in the house, Quetta alone owes the ministry Rs11,266.42 million. It pointed out that there are illegal agriculture tube well connections in the province, with around 150 run in the district of Turbat alone.

Citing reasons for the non-recovery of the amount, Aftab stated that there was a remarkable drop in collection from the agriculture sector, with 62% of the total outstanding.

The ministry informed the Senate that subsidy admissible to the agriculture sector in the province was withdrawn in July 2010 and normal billing resumed. The bills are issued on meter reading basis, it added.

The House was told that the agriculture consumers refused to pay any amount above Rs6,000 per month. Besides, the ministry also mentioned the poor law and order situation and the government’s inability to implement the policy to cut connections to defaulters in Balochistan.

New gas connection policy

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi informed the House that the ministry has formulated a new policy regarding new gas connections and has sent it to OGRA for approval.

The minister informed the Senate that a provision has been introduced in the policy under which 10% of the total gas connections will be given on an urgent basis by charging a fee of Rs25,000.

He explained that the prior policy has been changed to discourage corruption and bribe culture in the connection system. He said that the new mechanism will not only make the system more transparent but also help collect reasonable revenue for the national exchequer through the urgent connection.

Abbasi added that the ministry would support the provincial governments for such projects given that the provincial governments provide funds for the gas pipeline.

Reacting to this statement, irked senators demanded that the gas producing provinces should be allowed to establish their own private companies for supply of gas connection rather than depending on the federal government.

“You cannot run the country in such a way as provinces are denied the fuel they produce,” said ANP senator Haji Adeel. He added that under the 18th Constitutional Amendment all the gas producing areas are allowed to be given priority. He emphasised that the federal government should ensure the provision of gas to areas which produce the resource.

In response, the minister said that he admits that gas is the right of the provinces where it is produced, but the federal government did not have the funds to lay the pipelines.

Meanwhile, in a written reply‚ foreign ministry informed the House that nine soldiers have been killed and eleven others injured in incidents of unprovoked firing by the Indian troops along the Line of Control.