PESHAWAR: The people from various localities of Peshawar on Wednesday blocked the main Sher Shah Suri Road against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company over overbilling by burning old tyres and bills and blamed their misery on new power meters.

They also announced they won’t pay bills until new meters were removed.

The road blockade caused severe traffic jam near Sunehri Masjid.

Complain of overbilling, blame new faulty meters for it

Another demonstration on the nearby Bara Road added to the mess inconveniencing motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians alike.

The anti-Pesco demonstration was attended by the people of Gulberg, Bara Gate, Nauthia, Charkhana, Gulabad, Swati Phattak, Nasir Korona and Landi Arbab areas.

Leaders of political parties, including Syed Zahir of Awami National Party and adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on law Arif Yousaf of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, were also in attendance.

On the occasion, the speakers said the new power meters provided by USAID were faulty and that they were installed to exploit Pesco consumers.

They said on one hand, electric supply remained suspended for more than 10 hours daily on an average and on the other, power bills sent to the people were inflated.

A speaker asked how Pesco could charge thousands of rupees for the use of one or two saver bulbs only.

He said the government was bent on stressing out the inflation-hit common man further by issuing it inflated utility bills, especially those of electricity.

The protesters said they visited the Pesco offices for correction of bills almost daily but to no avail.

They insisted the Pesco officials asked them to pay bills or faced disconnection of electric supply.

The protesters said the people had come onto the streets as first they’re overcharged by Pesco and second they’re labourers by and large.

They said they won’t pay bills unless new power meters were removed and the old ones were installed again.

The protesters threatened to besiege the Pesco offices over the matter.

The mob dispersed after the police showed up and said they would speak to the Pesco officials for early resolution of their problem.

Also in the day, a rally was taken out by the internally displaced persons of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency.

The protesters wanted to hold demonstration outside the Governor’s House and Peshawar Press Club but the police convinced them to go up to Bara Gate.

Led by PTI Fata leader Haji Iqbal Afridi and Bara elder Haji Daud, IDPs complained the federal government had yet to begin registration of the people displaced due to Khyber-I military operation.

They demanded ‘reasonable’ relief package for themselves like IDPs of Malakand and Waziristan Agency.

Later, Haji Daud accompanied by some elders from Bara told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club said around 25,000 displaced families were in dire need of food and other consumer goods but officials of the political administration and Fata Secretariat didn’t bother about their sufferings.

He also urged the provincial chief minister to ensure speedy distribution of Rs5,000 cash to displaced families each.

Haji Daud also demanded strict action against the rural circle’s policemen misbehaving with IDPs and pressuring them to pay bribe for stay in the area.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2014