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| November 18, 2003 | Tuesday | Ramazan 22, 1424 |
Power supply to 150 villages cut
DADU, Nov 17: Hesco on Monday cut off power supply to 150 villages.
The villages included Noorja, Talti, Changia Panhwar, Khachar Panhwar, Jhallo, Kakari, Patari, Mallah, Khan Mohammad Rind, Bilawalpur, New Wahan, Choudhry Fazal, Giddu Bagh, Bambhan, Bukera, Negar, Mazar Panhwar, Ali Shah, Murad Lund, and Kaloo Machhi.
Arrest warrants were also issued against 100 defaulters of Hesco.
It is a part of the operation which is continuing against a total number of 15,000 defaulters throughout six sub-divisions — Dadu-I, Dadu-II, Mehar, Sehwan, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi.
On the directives of Hesco chief, Brigadier (retd) Tariq Arshad, the recovery magistrate, Saleemuddin Memon, and the executive engineer, Hesco, Dadu, Ghulam Mustafa Soomro, conducted raids at various places to recover the outstanding amount.
The team arrested 50 more defaulters of Hesco, Dadu division, to recover outstanding dues. Some of them were identified as Hakim Ali Jurio, Ghulamo, Ali Sher, Ali Mohammad, Khuda Bux, Mohammad Bux, Yousuf, Mohammad Hashim, and Ghulam Qadir.
When this correspondent contacted the executive engineer, Hesco, he said that the list of 15,000 defaulters was provided to the recovery magistrate of Hesco.
He said that the revenue officer had provided a list of outstanding amount of Rs400 million against private and commercial persons, including factory owners, shopping centre owners, hotel owners and political persons.
He said that arrest warrants were also issued against 100 big defaulters to pay their dues and Hesco has warned them that if they did not pay their dues, they would be arrested and their power connections disconnected.
He said that only Rs2 million remained outstanding against the lower class people of six sub-divisions, while Rs398 million remained outstanding against influential and habitual power thieves.
TWO DEFAULTERS’ VERSION: A defaulter, Hakim Ali, who was arrested by Hesco at the Bhan Saeedabad police station, said that even though he had paid the amount to the bank concerned, but even then local Hesco officials had issued him a detection bill and wanted him to pay them bribe without a reason.
He said that when he refused to pay both the wrong detection bill and the bribe, he was arrested and detained at the police station.
Another defaulter, Anwar Panhwar, who resides in the Changia Panhwar village, said that 200 villagers out of 400 had paid their current bills but Hesco officials had disconnected the power supply to the houses of all.
SDO’S VERSION: The SDO, Dadu-I sub-division, Hesco, Ghulam Qadir Pathan, said that Hesco had given them a target of four days to recover the outstanding amount in its entirety from big and small defaulters; otherwise, the officials concerned would be punished.
He said that Hesco officials had not demanded any bribe from any consumer and the officials were performing their duties under the supervision of the executive engineer, Hesco.
LARKANA: In a drive against defaulters, the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), Larkana division, disconnected the power supply to 72 villages on Monday.
The Hesco official, division-I, told this correspondent on Monday that not only had the power supply been snapped but 72 transformers had also been removed from these villages for the defaulters had not paid dues amounting to Rs9,186,000.
He said that the power supply to the villages of Gopang, Dilawar Sangi, Chango, Mehrab Sandelo, Daidar, Noor Mohammed Korkani, Mehmoodpur, Abdul Wahid Shabrani, Ghulam Hussain Shaikh, Lakhtiya, Dost Mohammed Channa, Angar Aaachar, Meenhon Khahee, Pahoor and many others had been disconnected.
He said that these villages were located in Shahdadkot, Nasirabad, Kambar, Mirokhan and Warah sub-divisions.
However, the villagers alleged that despite having made payments, Hesco officials had disconnected the power supply.
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