LANDI KOTAL: The Tribal Area Electric Supply Company (Tesco) has started disconnecting power supply to tube-wells in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber Agency over nonpayment of dues, further exacerbating the water shortage in the region.

Officials at the local grid station said they had received orders for disconnection of power supply to as many as 19 tube-wells in the area as the public health department of Khyber Agency had refused to pay monthly bills to Tesco amounting to Rs40 million.

They said Tesco had issued notices to the public health department along with notifying the political administration about the ‘gravity of the situation’.

They said they had already started disconnecting power supply to some of the tube-wells in Zakhakhel area, which has further aggravated the water shortage problem in these localities.

Ironically, officials of local political administration expressed their ignorance about the power disconnection to tube-wells and said they would take up the matter with both Tesco and public health department.

Tesco officials contended that despite several requests and official correspondence, neither the public health department nor the political administration heeded to their pleadings to deposit the outstanding power bills accumulated against 19 tube-wells.

Meanwhile, tesidents of Sultan Khel area of Zakhakhel said with suspension of power to tube-wells, water supply to their houses had been suspended for last five days.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2017