Power to the people: ‘Will hold open court at PESCO headquarters on May 26’
Abid Sher Ali says 260 feeders tripped during rainstorm, 242 already repaired
Federal Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali addresses a news conference. PHOTO: APP
PESHAWAR:
Federal Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said he will conduct an open court (Khuli Khachehri) at Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) headquarters on May 26 and personally address complaints of consumers.
The minister visited the provincial capital to oversee damage control procedures enacted by the power distribution company in the wake of the rainstorm that has so far claimed 47 lives and injured hundreds. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader said around 260 feeders tripped during the heavy showers that engulfed Peshawar and adjoining areas on Sunday. “242 feeders have already been fixed. Repair work will soon be complete,” he said. He refuted reports about damage caused to Mangla Dam in Mirpur district, Azad Kashmir during the ongoing spell of rainfall. “The dam is intact. Rains have damaged only a road in Khaliqabad area of the locality which will be repaired at a cost of Rs25 million,” he said.
Ali said the shortfall in the national grid has been minimised to 2,500-3,000 megawatts and several new power projects are nearing completion.
Money talks
Ali, who is known for his fiery political statements, spoke comprehensively about prolonged power outages in the province, albeit with care. He avoided the tradition of blaming provincial lawmakers for being in cahoots with power thieves and instead resorted to a more balanced and simplistic approach.
“The last time I was in Peshawar, we had decided that defaulters who pay up 35 to 40% of their dues will be exempted from the full payments, provided they begin paying regularly,” he said. Ali added despite awareness campaigns, the desired targets could not be met. “Pesco will provide top of the line customer service to those who pay bills on time and outages will be minimised in their areas,” he said.
Robbing the govt
Ali said 646 feeders keep the bulbs lit in the province. “At least 500 of the feeders function with 40% losses caused by theft,” he said, adding the loss of over half of those amounts to 70%.
The minister said a uniform formula has been implemented across the country – the more you steal, the larger your load-shedding burden would be. “Areas with minimum theft and line losses experience only six hours of power outage every day,” he said. The minister added no respite will be allowed for localities where theft percentages are significantly high. “In such areas, 16 to 18 hours of load-shedding are the order of the day across the country,” he maintained. The minister said losses climb to over 90% in peripheries of Peshawar, Bannu and Tank districts.
Revenge of the fallen
Ali said Pesco CEO is responsible if complaints from low-theft localities are not honoured swiftly. “If they have a transformer issue, the machine should be replaced within 24 hours,” he said. Regarding the functionality of the company, the minister said a list of 190 Pesco employees, guilty of corrupt practices, has been handed over to the company for action.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2015.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said he will conduct an open court (Khuli Khachehri) at Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) headquarters on May 26 and personally address complaints of consumers.
The minister visited the provincial capital to oversee damage control procedures enacted by the power distribution company in the wake of the rainstorm that has so far claimed 47 lives and injured hundreds. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader said around 260 feeders tripped during the heavy showers that engulfed Peshawar and adjoining areas on Sunday. “242 feeders have already been fixed. Repair work will soon be complete,” he said. He refuted reports about damage caused to Mangla Dam in Mirpur district, Azad Kashmir during the ongoing spell of rainfall. “The dam is intact. Rains have damaged only a road in Khaliqabad area of the locality which will be repaired at a cost of Rs25 million,” he said.
Ali said the shortfall in the national grid has been minimised to 2,500-3,000 megawatts and several new power projects are nearing completion.
Money talks
Ali, who is known for his fiery political statements, spoke comprehensively about prolonged power outages in the province, albeit with care. He avoided the tradition of blaming provincial lawmakers for being in cahoots with power thieves and instead resorted to a more balanced and simplistic approach.
“The last time I was in Peshawar, we had decided that defaulters who pay up 35 to 40% of their dues will be exempted from the full payments, provided they begin paying regularly,” he said. Ali added despite awareness campaigns, the desired targets could not be met. “Pesco will provide top of the line customer service to those who pay bills on time and outages will be minimised in their areas,” he said.
Robbing the govt
Ali said 646 feeders keep the bulbs lit in the province. “At least 500 of the feeders function with 40% losses caused by theft,” he said, adding the loss of over half of those amounts to 70%.
The minister said a uniform formula has been implemented across the country – the more you steal, the larger your load-shedding burden would be. “Areas with minimum theft and line losses experience only six hours of power outage every day,” he said. The minister added no respite will be allowed for localities where theft percentages are significantly high. “In such areas, 16 to 18 hours of load-shedding are the order of the day across the country,” he maintained. The minister said losses climb to over 90% in peripheries of Peshawar, Bannu and Tank districts.
Revenge of the fallen
Ali said Pesco CEO is responsible if complaints from low-theft localities are not honoured swiftly. “If they have a transformer issue, the machine should be replaced within 24 hours,” he said. Regarding the functionality of the company, the minister said a list of 190 Pesco employees, guilty of corrupt practices, has been handed over to the company for action.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 30th, 2015.