SUKKUR: State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali has said that he will request the prime minister to allow him to seek help of Rangers personnel in action against power theft and drive for recovery of heavy outstanding dues from influential power thieves and defaulters.

He said at a press conference after attending a review meeting of the Sukkur Electric Power Com­pany (Sepco) officials at Wapda Rest House here on Wednesday that Sepco Chief Executive Muzaffar Ali Abbasi had provided him lists of MNAs, MPAs, senators, provincial ministers, political leaders, influential persons, contractors, landlords, Waderas and Pirs and their henchmen who were involved in theft of electricity across the province.Their cumulative dues came to billions of rupees which they were not ready to pay by any means, he said.

He said that they used their clout to steal power and at the same time avoid action against them for the crime. He would present the lists to the prime minister within three days, he said.

Take a look: Minister warns of power supply cut to defaulting areas

The minister was reluctant to disclose the names on the lists when he was pressed by journalists but assured them that their names would be made public and got published in print media later on.

He said that he would also request the prime minister to form a special task force for the recovery of heavy dues from such notables and other influential people and depute Rangers personnel along with magistrates in their areas in order to help accelerate recovery drive.

He said that when Sepco was created in 2010 total number of its consumers was 700,000 and power demand was 800 megawatts but now the power demand had jumped to 1100 MW though the consumers’ number remained intact.

About 150,000 connections were not listed with Sepco while almost 100 per cent power theft was committed in Moro where a posh housing society had been running several air conditioners since 2007 without proper electricity connections or meters, inflicting heavy financial losses on Sepco, he said.

He said that power theft was committed on a massive scale in Larkana, Qambar, Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Kandhkot, Dadu, Nara, Choondko, Ali Wahan, Salehpat, Daharki, Ghotki, Ubauro and other adjoining towns.

The minister warned the Sepco officers to improve their performance by curbing power theft and ensuring 100 per cent recovery of bills and directed them to send heavy detection bills to the consumers who were involved in power theft and give relief to consumers who were good paymasters.

He warned the influential people and landlords who were using government power connections to run their tube-wells to irrigate their land and the Sepco officials who facilitated them in the theft that their cases would be sent to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

He directed Sepco CEO Muzafar Ali Abbasi to prepare a list of corrupt officials in the power utility so that a reference could be sent against them to the NAB.

The minister asked the IG of police that Sindh police did register FIRs but not take any action to arrest those nominated in the FIRs. Instead of taking action against the power thieves, police arrested members of Sepco raiding team who detected theft by influential people, he said, adding police were acting at the behest of influential power thieves.

In other countries of the world, he said, police acted on merit but here they cared less of merit. He, therefore, would request the prime minister to allow him to seek help of Rangers personnel in Sepco’s action against power thieves, he said.

He said that commercial consumers owed Rs1.777 billion to Sepco which had to pay Rs75 billion to buy electricity for its consumers. Such payment would be possible if consumers paid their bills in time, he said.

In Sepco, he said, there were a total of 430 11KV feeders out of which 30 11KV feeders were those where line losses were up to 30 per cent or less while there were 70 11KV feeders where line losses were between 80 to 90 per cent.

Sources in the power utility said that on the directives of the minister, Sepco senior engineer who was acting superintending engineer (operation circle Dadu) Asadullah Shaikh, former SDO (operation) subdivision Daharki, Abdul Wahab Bullo; line superintendent-I who held charge of SDO (operation) subdivision Johi, Jhando Khan, had been placed under suspension and directed to report at Sepco headquarters Sukkur. And SDO (operation) subdivision Mehrabpur, Nazeer Ahmed Shaikh, had been relieved from service and asked to report to PEPCO Lahore, said the sources

The minister later visited Ali Wahan protective dyke near Rohri where he was briefed by irrigation department officials about the flood situation and condition of dykes and barrages.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2015

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