March, 31 2005	Thursday	20 Safar 1426

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PESHAWAR, March 30: The NWFP government has opposed adjustment made by Wapda against amounts owed by federal government bodies, officials told Dawn. According to sources, the provincial government had decided to approach the power company to rectify the situation.

The sources said Wapda had informed the provincial government in January that it had adjusted Rs132 million dues. The provincial government found that part of Rs132 million was adjusted against arrears which were payable by consumers belonging to the federal government from the account of electricity duty — a provincial levy which the utility collects from power consumers on behalf of the federating units.

The provincial government has expected to raise an amount of Rs270 million from the levy during the current financial year — up from Rs240 million it generated under the said head in financial year 2003-04.

The sources said the provincial government had based its claim on the fact that the adjustment had been made against the arrears outstanding against the public sector consumers belonging to the federal government.

“The deduction has been made against an amount which is payable not by the provincial government consumers,” said an official.

The sources said the adjustment had been made against the electricity dues payable by the Levies posted in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and the public sector consumers falling under the jurisdiction of Frontier Regions.

“Arrears accumulated against consumers belonging to Frontier Regions and Fata is the responsibility of the federal government and for their default the provincial government cannot be held responsible,” an official said, adding that Wapda high-ups had not been able to understand the difference between Fata and the NWFP.

The sources said the provincial government would shortly move the power utility to get the mistake rectified.

“The government is not against adjusting arrears from the electricity duty account, but it also does not want to pay arrears of entities which do not fall under its jurisdiction,” said the official.