PESCO asked to stop loadshedding on flimsy excuses
CHITRAL: Due to the faulty transmission system and inefficiency of the power utility officials, people of Chitral are still facing prolonged power outages even though there is surplus electricity after the opening of the Golen Gol power station.
Consumers complained that they were enduring outages extending to six and eight hours daily. They said the PESCO subdivisional officer (SDO) in Chitral was responsible for the power cuts. They said the official was resorting to loadshedding on the excuse of non-payment of bills by consumers.
But about 90 per cent of consumers regularly paid their bills and the company should discontinue supply to the defaulters instead of punishing all the consumers even though 36 megawatts of Golen Gol had been reserved for Chitral.
They said due to preparation of bills without meter reading sometimes consumers could not get bills against all the units they consumed in a month. But this is the fault and inefficiency of the PESCO officials not that of the consumers.
Secondly, instead of delivering at houses the PESCO officials left the bills in shops and mosques due to which the consumers could not pay them on time.
Most of the transformers and other equipment often develop faults and the officials resort to laodshedding. During the repair work, power supply to other areas is also suspended.
The consumers warn the PESCO officials to issue bills after meter reading and stop outages otherwise a protest would be launched against the company.—Bashir Hussain Azad
Why a single official could make things hell for public. Is there no law to follow to facilitate people of Chitral.