QUETTA, June 17: The Quetta Electricity Supply Company (Qesco) has given four more days for the payment of outstanding dues pending against the Zamindars (landlords) of Balochistan or the power connections of the defaulters would be disconnected by June 21.

The decision to this effect was taken at a joint meeting of Qesco Chief Executive Brig Tasadduq Hussain Shah and representatives of the Zamindars Action Committee (ZAC) here on Tuesday.

The officials concerned of the company informed the meeting that the Qesco outstanding dues against the landlords had reached up to Rs493 million and was increasing with by the day as the landlords were not paying the dues pending against them.

The ZAC had earlier agreed on a formula in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousaf last month. According to the formula, the landlords were asked to pay Rs4,000 as their current bill on the basis of flat rate and an additional Rs4,000 from their outstanding dues pending against them.

It was decided in the meeting that the landlords would pay this amount by June 15, otherwise, their agriculture power connections would be disconnected.

The meeting was informed that only Rs21 million were deposited out of Rs493 million outstanding dues by June 15, which also included monthly payment of the electricity bills.

In view of this discouraging report, the Qesco chief executive officer decided to cut off power supply to the agriculture tubewells of those landlords who had not made payment according to the decision taken in the last meeting.

However, on the request of the action committee, Qesco has extended the date of payment for the current and outstanding dues’ instalment up to June 20. Action Committee Chairman Syed Taj Mohammad Agha assured the meeting that the committee would not support defaulters who would not deposit their current bill and outstanding dues’ instalment after June 20.

He further said that the committee would extend all help and cooperation to the Qesco staff for disconnecting the agriculture connections of defaulters.

It was decided in the meeting that a joint meeting of Qesco and the ZAC would be held on June 21, to review the situation in view of the assurance given by the ZAC and future line of action would be decided in the meeting.