KOHAT: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) is likely to resort to 16 hours load management in urban areas and 22 hours in rural areas this summer in view of the huge line losses and outstanding dues amounting to Rs1.25 billion in Kohat division, sources say.

They said that in rural parts of the district the voltage was intentionally kept low due to which TV, refrigerators, ACs and other electronic equipment could not be run. They said that this step had been taken to discourage use of electric heaters for cooking.

When contacted, SDO urban Mr Wajidullah told this correspondent that this year mid-summer would be tough compared to the previous years because Pesco was sustaining huge line losses and the recovery of bills had been dismal.

He said that electricity theft had become so common that even rich consumers were indulging in it, which often resulted in explosion of transformers.

This is also the main reason for snapping of electricity supply, especially during night time in summer, he claimed.

Official says Pesco sustaining huge losses in the division

The SDO said that most of the people in rural areas used electricity heaters for cooking and heating purposes.

He said that payment of bills in the area under his jurisdiction was 95 per cent and outstanding amount was almost recovered because the city dwellers were cooperative. However, he could not explain why excessive loadshedding was being carried out in the city.

He said that whenever they visited remote areas for inspection the people immediately inform each other on mobile phones that a checking team had arrived so they removed kundas.

He said that majority of thieves used kundas in the night because the Pesco raiding teams could not check the whole district.

The villages and towns located on the whole Hangu road close to the borders of Orakzai Agency and far-flung areas were among the most affected by power outages.

The people living along the Hangu road consider payment of bills as an ‘insult’ because power supply remain off for over 20 hours and when restored its voltage is very below.

However, Pesco is adamant that the consumers of these over 16 villages should first pay bills to get normal supply.

The sources said that these people had also lodged an FIR against the executive engineer, Pesco, through MPA Ziaullah Bangash of PTI. However, instead of showing improvement the problem has aggravated.

KIDNAPPER HELD: A wanted kidnapper carrying Rs300,000 head money was arrested on Thursday from the Indus Highway near Rawalpindi interchange, police said.

They said that the accused, Saif Ali of Ustarzai village, Kohat, was wanted to the administration and his name was on the ‘most wanted’ list in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They claimed that Ali would stay in different parts of country and target big businessmen.

The police got information that he had come to his home in Kohat and was waiting for a public transport to travel to Peshawar.

After a little chase he was overpowered and brought to the Riaz Mohammad Shaheed police station.

The police said that Ali was wanted to Kohat police in two kidnapping cases, one each in Hangu and Peshawar.

The district police officer has announced that the amount of head money would be given to the police party that arrested the accused.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2015

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