PESHAWAR, July 31: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has conditionally restored power supply to people of Bannu.

A Pesco spokesman said on Wednesday that a jirga was held in Bannu wherein besides notables of Kaki, Mandan areas, the officials of district administration, police, Pesco and military discussed the issues pertaining to the public demonstrations and removal of illegal power connections.

Keeping in view certain assurances of the jirga, power supply was conditionally restored to the areas. However, it was decided that a comprehensive jirga would be held on Thursday (today) to devise a plan for removal of the illegal power connections and to ensure timely payment of monthly bills.

The spokesman said that power supply to the Kaki area of Bannu was provided through 11kv Mandan-I and Mandan-II feeders, which were overloaded due to numerous illegal hooks. He claimed that about 93 per cent electricity was stolen there and the people were not ready to pay their bills.

The mob attack, he said, had also infuriated the Pesco labour union which refused to restore the power supply to these areas in such a crucial situation.

However, the Pesco has negotiated with labor union and it has been brought into the notice of Bannu administration that the power to these areas will only be restored if all the direct connections are removed as such connections were the main cause of over Rs430 million losses.

In another condition, the Pesco asked for recovery, maintenance of its properties and stern action against the people responsible for this incident. Similarly, the district administration and local police will have to take the responsibility to protect the Pesco employees and installations.

The spokesman said that on Sunday last the Pesco had removed a number of hooks so that the electricity supply could be stabilised from these overloaded feeders, but the residents attacked the Pesco’s Bannu circle office where office record was set ablaze. Police had been asked to register FIR of the incident, but no arrest was made yet.

He said that power supply to the areas was automatically suspended due to overload, but the people took it as loadshedding and thus stormed the Pesco offices. The Pesco also divided load on a number of such feeders and initiated other steps to manage the load, he said.