CHITRAL: The consumers have to bear the expenses of fixing the faulty power transformers as the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company has no workshop for the purpose in Chitral.

Pesco’s nearest transformer repairing workshop is situated in Chakdara, and if a broken down transformer is needed to be transported from Chitral the transportation charges have also to be paid by the consumers.

The consumers complained that the Pesco officials asked them either to get the faulty transformers repaired from the private workshops in Chitral or wait for the time till it was transported to Chakdara and brought back after repair that often took weeks.

They accused the power company of also not maintaining spare transformers in Chitral to readily replace the faulty ones.

Former Jughoor village nazim Sajjad Ahmed Khan said recently the local people contributed funds to repair a transformer after it developed fault from a private workshop in Chitral. He said that a power transformer in the adjoining Denin village developed fault twice during Ramazan, and locals got it repaired on both the times on self-help basis.

He said most of the transformers were in ramshackle condition which had been installed in 1975 when the local power station of Wapda was commissioned to work.

When contacted, the Pesco’s superintending engineer for Swat circle admitted the prevalence of the problem and said spare transformers must be kept in Chitral as it was not financially feasible to establish a full-fledged workshop in the district.

TWO KILLED: A young man was killed when a pistol his cousin was cleaning allegedly went off in Khot village of Upper Chiral on Monday.

An official of Torkhow police station identified the deceased as Yahya Khan of Koghuzi village.

In another incident, a teenage boy, Farhan Khan of Chew Dok village, died when the motorcycle he was riding fell into a ravine.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2020