Rule of law: MEPCO officer detained over power restoration

Power supply for 42 TMA water supply schemes had been disconnected three days ago.

DERA GHAZI KHAN:

A Multan Electric Power Company superintending engineer was detained at commissioner’s office after he refused to restore power to 42 TMA water supply schemes of Dera Ghazi Khan.

Power connections had been disconnected three days ago, affecting nearly 300,000 families of the area. The TMA owes Rs223 million to the MEPCO.

Earlier on Wednesday, Commissioner Saqib Aziz had ordered the MEPCO to restore power supply.

On Thursday, when he came to office, he was told that water was still not available in most parts of the district. He then summoned SE Nasir Rasheed for a meeting at 11 am.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the commissioner said he asked Rasheed to restore water to residential areas. “I told him they could suspend supply to government buildings till the dues were cleared,” he said. “I told him that it was urgent that the public have access to water in this hot weather.”

He said he had requested Rs280 million from the provincial government to pay the dues.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Rasheed said he told the commissioner that he could not restore power supply to water schemes till all dues were cleared as per the directions of the government and the Ministry of Water and Power. He said he had told him that he was not authorised to do so.

He said he was then detained at the commissioner’s office till he agreed to restore water to housing schemes. On hearing news of his ‘detention’, MEPCO employees went on a pen down strike. They gathered outside their offices and chanted slogans against the district government. The MEPCO Pegham Union boycotted work and blocked a road in front of the MEPCO Complex. The MEPCO workers said they would continue to protest till the SE was released.

The SE stayed at the commissioner’s office till 3PM. Later, Additional Commissioner Abdul Jabbar and MNA Hafiz Abdul Kareem met the commissioner and the SE. Rasheed left the commissioner’s office after agreeing to restore water supply to housing schemes by Friday (today).

“The detention was illegal,” he said. “The commissioner had no right to do it. District authorities should not intimidate us like this.”

Meanwhile, MPA Syed Abdul Aleem Shah of PP-244 announced to go on a protest against the disconnection if water supply was not by Friday (today). Water supply to TMA schemes had been disconnected in April over the same issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2015.