PESHAWAR, Jan 18: Water and Power Development Authority is losing over Rs375 million every month (Rs4.5 billion annually) due to non-payment of electricity charges by the power consumers in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), according to official sources.

On an average, Fata electricity consumers consume over 200 million units every month and the total price of these comes to over Rs400 million.

However, against this power consumption in Fata, the Authority receives just over Rs15 million, losing Rs375 million every month only in the tribal areas of the Frontier province.

Whereas, Fata consumers pay around Rs15 million every month against the electricity consumption of some 200 million units every month, the government departments (federal and provincial) pay some Rs355 million against the average consumption of over 70 million units every month.

Similarly, domestic and industrial consumers of the Frontier province jointly pay around Rs975 million every month against the monthly consumption of some 355 million units.

On an average, according to official sources, domestic consumers collectively pay 95 per cent of the total price of electricity they consume every month (in the Frontier province), government departments pay about 75 per cent of the total cost of electricity they consume every month whereas Wapda recovers hardly three per cent of the total cost of electricity it sells to Fata electricity consumers.

“Despite the fact that Fata consumers are sold electricity at rates much cheaper than the rates charged from consumers in the settled parts of the country, still no one is apparently ready in the tribal areas to pay their monthly electricity bills,” said senior official sources.

Against the Rs2.97 per unit price charged from the electricity consumers of the settled parts of the country, Fata consumers are required to pay Rs1.97 per unit every month.

Wapda has 171,000 registered consumers in Fata besides 85000 illegal connections.

Although Fata consumers, said the sources, were charged electricity at rates lower than those charged from consumers elsewhere in the country, Fata electricity consumers collectively owe Rs7 billion arrears to the organization.

Chief executive of the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (Pesco) Brig Khalid Khan, when contacted, told Dawn, that Wapda and the provincial government had developed consensus viz-a-viz improving the recovery system to overcome losses in Fata.

“Modalities are being worked out and in this respect President Pervez Musharraf has recently directed the provincial government that the recovery of the electricity charges would be the responsibility of the political agent of the tribal agency concerned of Fata,” said the Pesco chief.