ISLAMABAD: Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif said in the National Assembly on Tuesday that the government and private consumers in Sindh owed large amounts in unpaid electricity bills and urged the PPP leadership to ask their government in the province to clear power dues of Rs66 billion.

Earlier on a point of order, Ayaz Soomro of the PPP had complained against long and unscheduled loadshedding in Sindh.

The minister said: “Neither private sector nor public sector in Sindh is willing to pay electricity bills, but they always complain.”

Also read: Govt, opposition wrangle over Sindh electricity dues

The provincial government does not recognise Rs66bn, but it accepts owing Rs9bn, but still it is not ready to pay.

Khawaja Asif said the Sindh government had so far paid only Rs600 million. He said the previous PPP government was responsible for the miserable state of affairs of Sindh-based power distribution companies.

“The PPP government had signed contracts with nine captive power plants in Sindh in such a manner that the federal government will have to clear their bills.”

He said his ministry had decided in principle that it would provide electricity only to those consumers who would pay dues on time.

“Whether it is Punjab, Sindh or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only those consumers will get electricity which have good record of paying their bills.”

The minister said the government was facing a daunting challenge in Balochistan where tubewell subsidy was misused. “People are running marriage halls and other business in the name of tubewells and the government is made to cough up a subsidy of Rs100bn.”

Leader of the Opposition Khurshid Shah assured the house that he would take up the matter with the Sindh government.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2015

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