LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), July 9: The Tribal Areas Electricity Supply Company (Tesco) disconnected the power supply to at least 60 industrial units in the Malagori area of Khyber Agency after their failure to pay electricity bills. Sources in Tesco told Dawn that the disconnection was carried out after clear-cut instructions from the governor, NWFP.

Anwar Marwat, a Tesco official, said that his company has standing orders from the governor that no industry would be supplied electricity free of cost.

He said that in keeping with the governor’s orders no relaxation would be granted to the industry, government offices and commercial areas in the tribal areas, and added that nowhere in the world do industries and commercial areas get electricity free of cost.

Tesco disconnected the power supply to marble factories in the Malagori area in February this year but was later restored after the factory owners agreed to pay a fixed bill of Rs27,000 per month.

The Khyber Agency administration also ensured Tesco officials that they would assist in installation of electricity bills at the industrial units.

Tesco officials argued that both the political administration and owners of the marble factories failed to honour their commitment and thus the disconnection.

Tesco official Anwar Marwat said that the power supply would now be restored only when the owners of industrial units agree to pay their bills as per meter consumption.

He, however, said that Tesco manager operations was in touch with the owners of industrial units, mostly comprising marble industries and expressed the hope that a solution to the problem would be sorted out.

Himmat Shah, a representative of marble units in Malagori, told Dawn that nearly a thousand factory workers were rendered jobless as their units faced closure due to power disconnection.

He, however, insisted that they would hold talks with Tesco officials only after the power supply was restored to their units.