Fighting losses: PESCO promises 16 hours of electricity to Akhunabad residents

In return, residents have agreed to remove illegal connections, pay bills.

PESHAWAR:

A meeting held between officials of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and the residents of Akhunabad on Saturday has resulted in the utility company promising lesser outages in the locality in return for their cooperation. This is the second such compromise made between Pesco and its consumers in the week, following the agreement between locals of PK-6 and the company.

Pesco Board of Directors (BoD) held a meeting with residents of Akhunabad-3 and assured them of reducing outages after they agreed to remove illegal connections and pay their bills.

Sub-Division Officer (SDO) for Gulbahar, Zaman Orakzai, told The Express Tribune the company agreed to ensure power supply for 16 hours and in return the residents will remove illegal power connections and will pay their bills regularly.

Orakzai said, “Like many other localities in the city, Pesco was also facing the problem of illegal connections and non-payment of bills in Akhunabad, which caused billions in losses.”

BoD member Nasir Khan Musazai shared the residents were assured that Pesco would extend its full cooperation to them. “Earlier, the locality was subjected to 12 hours of load-shedding which will now be reduced to eight hours a day,” said Musazai. He added that the utility would also resolve the issues identified by the people, including low voltage and inflated bills.

In order to address the issue of power outages and non-payment of bills, Pesco has decided to work with residents of various localities and resolve common issues.

Recovery drive begins in PK-6

Two teams have been formed in Landi Arbab subdivision by Pesco Khyber Circle Superintendent Engineer (SE) Arbab Khudaad to begin a recovery drive in the area of the 11kv Bara feeder. The teams will also install meters.

According to Pesco Spokesperson Shaukat Afzal, the company was facing 99% losses from PK-6 constituency fed by the 11kv Bara feeder where thousands of consumers use electricity illegally and unpaid bills amount to Rs82 million. “Only a handful of people have installed electricity metres but even they don’t pay bills,” said Afzal.

The spokesperson further said supply to the feeder was suspended two days ago; however, MPA from PK-6 Fazal Elahi met SE Khudaad and his team, and the two sides reached a consensus. According to the agreement, an amount was set which the residents will pay for a couple of months for Pesco to begin the process of recovering losses.

“It was decided that the residents of the region would pay 15% of their bills on an immediate basis, while the decision on the remaining amount will be taken in the next two months,” shared Afzal.

He added all customers who are using electricity illegally will have to apply for meters which Pesco will install.

“In the meantime, consumers receiving electricity from the Bara feeder will have to pay Rs700 per month which will be adjusted later on in the total bill,” said Afzal.

He added MPA Elahi and the elders of the area will provide complete support to the Pesco teams which will install meters. “After the meters are installed, direct hooks will not be tolerated and any violation of the agreement will be dealt with by law-enforcement agencies,” said Afzal.

The spokesperson added it was a temporary arrangement limited to only the Bara feeder and lasting for only two months, so that consumers can be added to the billing lists.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2014.