HYDERABAD: A large number of residents of Old Wahdat Colony blocked the Thandi Sarak road on Wednesday in protest against removal of 11,000 KV high tension transmission line supplying power to their locality.

They said the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) staff removed the line as a punishment for the colony’s failure to clear liabilities which ran into millions of rupees.

Imran Arbab, chairman of the Old Wahdat Colony Welfare Association who led the protest, told journalists that Hesco authorities were demanding payment of dues which had accumulated over the years. He said that there were 1,500 government quarters in the colony which were in the possession of government employees working in different departments but the power utility was seeking even dues of the employees who had left the quarters years ago from those who were presently residing there.

He said the dues should be recovered from the department the employees belonged to as the current occupant could not pay such huge bills. Previously, Hesco staff had recovered Rs10,000 from each resident on different pretexts while the residents were ready to pay current bills to the power utility, he said.

Hesco spokesman Sadiq Kubar said that power dues ran into millions of rupees but residents were not ready to clear them. Previously, a settlement was reached between the consumers and Hesco that they would pay the amount of current bill and Rs500 extra per month towards liabilities, he said.

He said the agreed formula was implemented initially for sometime but then the residents stopped paying it and the Hesco was forced to remove the high tension line.

He said that again an understanding had been developed and a written statement had been submitted by the union that they would abide by the previous formula. Then, he said, the power supply to the colony was restored.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2014