May 09, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1429

HYDERABAD, May 8: The Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company (Hesco) was saving 600 megawatt through loadshedding to meet shortfall in power generation, and could save up to 80 per cent power if markets were closed by 8 pm, said Hesco Chief Executive Officer Choudhry Guftar Ahmed Anjum on Thursday.

He told members of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the chamber’s secretariat that as soon as more power was available, the duration of loadshedding would be reduced.

He said that the company was making efforts to conserve power by switching off 50 per cent of streetlights and signboards and urged marriage hall owners to use generators during marriage functions.

He called upon business community to cooperate with Hesco in its load management exercise and said if markets were closed by 8 pm, the company expected to save up to 80 per cent electricity.

He assured that the company would take the chamber into confidence in evolving load management strategy for industrial area, and in this connection a complaint centre would be set up in the Site area this month.

Mr Anjum directed the Hesco officials to be present in their offices from 9am to 11am to redress the consumers’ grievances. The company, at present, was losing out 31 per cent power to line losses and its bills’ recovery stood at 84 per cent, he said.

He regretted that sometimes, the officials mistakenly issued detection bills to honest consumers along with power thieves and the company was making serious efforts to end issuance of detection bills.

Earlier, the chamber president Haji Mohammad Yaqoob briefed Hesco chief about the problems of power consumers, especially commercial and industrial ones.

Meanwhile, the Water and Sanitation Agency Managing Director Basheer Awan said that daily loadshedding of seven to eight hours water had seriously disrupted supply of water and drainage of sewage.

He said in an official handout that the problem had scuttled water supply to the consumers and expressed hope the situation would improve very soon.