July 11, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 25, 1428

LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), July 10: About 1,100 personnel of the Khasadar force have refused to accept their salary in protest against deduction of electricity bill from it.

Sources at the assistant political agent office in Landi Kotal told Dawn that Rs220 were deducted from the salary of each member of the force as monthly electricity bill on the instructions of the Tribal Areas Electricity Supply Corporation (Tesco) and the political administration.

An official of the Khasadar force told Dawn that only the Khasadar force had been forced to pay the electricity bill.

He said as to why other government employees, such as teachers, the staff of the political administration, Khyber Rifles and doctors had been allowed to remain out of the deduction net if that was the only way to recover the bill.

A Tesco official in Peshawar said that the corporation was incurring loses due to free use of electricity by tribesmen and their refusal to install power meters.

He said that Tesco in collaboration with the political administration had decided to impose a monthly bill of Rs220 on flat rate basis on all the tribesmen to make for the loss.

He wondered that Khasadar forces in South and North Waziristan, Kurram and Aurakzai agencies were already paying bills on the flat rate formula.

He said that Tesco and local political authorities were also preparing the list of tribal government employees working in different departments in Fata in order to bring them under the billing net.

The official said that local committees, comprising officials of the political administration, tribal elders and members of the agency council were formed for the recovery of Wapda arrears.

He said that Tesco would pay five per cent commission to the committee members from the recovered amount.