May 30, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428

JHANG, May 29: The Fesco has delivered an inflated electricity bill to a consumer even before his newly-installed tubewell connection becomes operational in the Shah Jewna sub-division.

Mukhtar Hussain Shah of Pabbarwala village submitted a complaint to the Fesco manager (operations), Jhang circle, stating that he had applied for a tubewell connection which the department sanctioned on May 5, 2007.

Three days after wielding of the meter box on May 20, when the tubewell had yet to become operational, the applicant said he received the bill of Rs17,506, including arrears of Rs8,040.

Initially, he thought that the bill might be related to the arrears of installation cost or the price of equipment. But a line superintendent later told him that the amount shown in the bill indicated the units consumed by the tubewell since December 2006, pointing out that the tubewell had started consuming electricity six months before its installation.

He said the line superintendent had also offered him to get the bill written off with the `cooperation’ of his colleague in the Fesco’s revenue office, but he preferred to submit an application to high-ups.

The petition also alleged that meter readers, particularly in the Shah Jewna sub-division, sent fictitious readings to the revenue office for the preparation of the bills with the connivance of their superiors.

The manager (operations) has directed the deputy commercial manager to submit a report within a fortnight.