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HYDERABAD, July 12: Power supply has been disconnected to offices of the Hyderabad Cantonment Board for the last one month for non-payment of dues.
According to Hesco chief Tariq Arshad, power supply to streets, parks, roads, sweeper and staff colonies, pumping stations and offices of the HCB was disconnected on account of non-payment of Rs66.5 million arrears. However, except for the main offices of the HCB and defence children park, supply of electricity to colonies, parks and streets was restored.
He said power supply to the HCB offices would not be restored till the payment of dues.
The disconnection of electricity has badly affected the functioning of the HCB offices and the authorities are using generators to continue office work.
Talking to this correspondent here on Saturday, HCB chief executive officer Raja Faqirullah said he could not comment on the matter as it was sub judice.
The superintending engineer, Hesco circle-I, Habibullah Khilji, said the board moved the court of the fourth senior civil judge in October 1997 against payment of Rs19 million arrears.
He maintained that the court appointed an officer to conduct joint reading of HCB’s meters with Hesco meter readers which was accordingly done but the board said it would pay 50 per cent of the bills. He said joint meter reading was conducted till January 2003.
Hesco provided power supply to staff and sweepers colonies through bulk meters to which the HCB objected, saying it did not collect the amount of electricity consumed by its employees therefore separate meters should be installed.
TRADE WITH BD: The deputy high commissioner for Bangladesh, Mohammad Inamul Kabir, has stressed the need for launching a joint venture to increase trade between the two countries, reports Bureau.
He was talking to businessmen at the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretariat here on Saturday.
Mr Kabir called upon the HCCI to send a delegation to Bangladesh to meet their counterparts with a view to increasing trade relations with the country.
Calling for making concerted efforts to increase trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said great opportunities for trading relations existed among member countries of Saarc.
He informed the businessmen that the total volume of trade between the two countries last year was only 68 million dollars which he said could be doubled. He said efforts of both the governments were needed in furtherance of this objective. He said businessmen should also play their role in this regard and they should identify bottlenecks hindering mutual trade.
Welcoming Mr Kabir, HCCI president Abdur Razzaq Memon said a delegation of traders and industrialists of the district was eager to visit Bangladesh to explore the avenues of trade. He also invited businessmen of Bangladesh to visit Hyderabad.
COTTON CROP: A survey conducted to assess the effect of the recent heavy rains on crops in Tando Allahyar and Matiari talukas has revealed that the downpour has benefited the cotton crop and reduced pests.
The survey was conducted by a senior officer of the agriculture department, Hyderabad, informed the Directorate of Agriculture Information, Sindh, here on Friday.
However, a spokesman for the directorate in a statement issued here, said heavy rains would damage crops in low-lying fields where there was no adequate arrangement to drain out standing water.
He said the EDO, agriculture, with a team of experts visited fields of a grower of Matiari, Syed Nadeem Shah, to assess the effect of rains on crops which were attacked by reddening of leaves.
