HYDERABAD, Sept 19: The Hesco will soon replace its aging radial transmission system with “ring system”, the chief engineer of Hesco, Abdul Rasheed Khan, told a group of journalists here on Wednesday.

He said that the new system will provide an alternative source of power, thereby reducing the burden of power breakdowns on consumers.

He said that Wapda chairman Lt Gen Zulfiqar Ali Khan had recently ordered upgrading of the power distribution system in the interior of Sindh. The previous system necessitated the closure of entire transmission system, he said.

He said the 62-kilometre-long Sanghar-Mirpurkhas “ring system” will be in place by October 2002. It will cost around Rs18.82 million.

Similarly, the 47-km-long Digri-Naukot system will be in place by Sept 30. It will be built at a cost of Rs14 million.

The chief engineer said accumulation of dust and dew on the coastal transmission line resulted in frequent power suspension.

He said 45,000 special insulator were being installed to overcome power failures because of fog. Almost 65 percent of the work has already been completed.

Small transformers and insulated conductors were being installed in villages and congested urban areas to reduce the incidence of power theft.

He claimed that the union council Nazim had spoken out of a personal grudge, saying Siddiqui had not paid his power bill arrears, amounting to Rs15,000. He said Siddiqui’s status as a Nazim had prevented Hesco staff from disconnecting power supply. He was allowed to pay the arrears in instalments, the Hesco chief engineer said.

The chief engineer also said that the union council Nazim had approached him for the transfer of a Hesco official, who had been posted out only two months ago on charges of inefficiency. He said he had refused to entertain the request, which may have annoyed Siddiqui. He said Siddiqui had also brought complaints regarding detection bills. But, he added, when the meters were found in perfect working condition when they were checked in presence of the concerned consumers. This was duly admitted by the consumers, he said.

The chief engineer said the company will no longer tolerate inefficient and corrupt officials, adding that 17 officers, including 15 SDOs, had been sent on forced retirement on charges of corruption.

He said 113 customers service centres had been established at the sub-division level throughout interior Sindh to redress public complaints. These centres, he said, operated under the one-window system, resolving problems ranging from new connections to correction of bills in the shortest possible time.

The chief engineer said regional customers service centres had been set up at Latifabad and Nawabshah while another centre will begin operating in Larkana from Sept 21.

He said regional centres will soon be setup in Kotri and Sukkur. He said Hesco officers will hold open Katchehries from Monday, Sept 16.