ISLAMABAD, May 8: Wapda has offered to write off half of the Rs55 billion dues outstanding against consumers in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) provided the rest of the arrears are paid. A senior official told Dawn on Monday that the proposal was under the federal government’s consideration.
He said the arrears were increasing by Rs800 million per month. The Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) was even unable to pay the wheeling charges of Rs300 million to the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco).
He said Wapda had suggested to the centre that if Rs27 billion was paid by the federal government or the tribal administration and a mechanism was put in place for future recoveries, it would waive the rest of the arrears.
He said Wapda had also asked the government to fix a flat rate of 10 paisa per unit tariff for Fata consumers on the basis of meter reading, but the federal government could not help install electricity meters in the region due to non-cooperation of the tribal administration and the NWFP governor.
The official said Wapda had also offered tribal Maliks to recover electricity bills in their areas and keep the 50 per cent of the amount so collected, but nobody came forward to accept it.
The government had also asked the governor and chief minister of the NWFP to help recover Wapda arrears in Fata, but in vain.
The government has been informed that the planned privatisation of Pesco will not be possible unless its arrears are cleared.
The chief executive of Tesco has already expressed inability to recover the bills, which are calculated on estimates.
