State Minister says counter action not targeting any single province. PHOTO: FILE
This was stated by State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali at a news conference at Wapda House on Tuesday wherein he read out the number of defaulters in various districts of the province and dues from those areas. Pesco Chief Executive Tariq Sadozai and other senior officials of the company were also present at the occasion.
“More than 80 power feeders in K-P are running with huge line losses of which 30 are almost at a total loss,” said the minister, adding Pesco will disconnect feeders bearing huge losses in DI Khan, Peshawar, Shangla, Tank, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Karak.
Freeloaders
The minister disclosed that of the 4,774 power consumers in Karak sub-division, nearly 437 were using electricity by direct hooks while the total dues stood at Rs462 million.
Similarly, in Sabir Baba, Tank, the majority of residents do not pay their bills and the total outstanding amount from the area is Rs153 million, said Ali.
The minister said Pesco has been supplying electricity to more than 2,489 consumers in Jhando Khel, Bannu where only 125 people were depositing their electricity bills while the total receivables are worth nearly Rs173 million.
In New Mathra, Peshawar, he said only 81 people pay their bills out of around 2,031 consumers, adding the total outstanding dues from the area stand at Rs310 million.
The minister said Pesco had worked out a plan to launch a crackdown against power theft that would improve the company’s financial health and recovery ratio in areas with high line losses.
Ali said the federal government is providing Rs4.5 billion to Pesco to improve transmission lines and replace outdated electricity wires and transformers.
“Despite recoveries of substantial amounts under the head of dues, there is still a long way to go,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Water and Power is taking action against power theft across the board without any discrimination and is not targeting any single province.
He urged the provincial ministers to abstain from pointing fingers at others and asked them to go to their home constituencies and remove illegal power connections.
Talking about the expected shortage of electricity in the summer, Ali said, “Under the fast-track strategy, around 1,500 to 1,765 MW electricity would be added to the national grid by June to help minimise energy shortage.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2014.
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Sure. It's a good move, but results in very devastating social opposition. Better arrest the convicts? Even though such a measure has to be taken, one must not let women, children and old face the rage. And oh, for the Anti-PTI, PESCO is 100% under the federal government.