PESHAWAR, April 22: The city's power utility on Thursday issued a stern warning to officers in the wake of a sharp decline in its revenues, an official statement said on Thursday.

The Peshawar Electricity Supply Company's statement said that the power utility's Bannu Circle posted a sharp decline in revenue, which dropped from 94 per cent in February to 77 per cent in April.

The state of affairs, the statement said, had affected the overall revenue targets, leading to a downward revision in two of its circles, in Peshawar and Mardan. A spokesman for Pesco said that Bannu's drastic decline in revenue collection had prompted the power utility's chief executive Brig Tahir Saeed Malik to warn officers to improve their performance in connection with revenue collection or risk being posted out to Lahore.

The warning was issued during a meeting held in Peshawar on Thursday. The Pesco chief, it said, had suspended Dera Ismail Khan's revenue officer for poor performance while Dargai XEN was let off with a warning.

The Pesco's chief executive directed the field staff to remain vigilant during summers to pre-empt power breakdowns, ensuring a smooth supply of electricity besides working towards the elimination of power theft and line losses.

Earlier, the meeting decided to fill all the vacant posts, initiate action in complaints against over-billing in Karak and issue lightening arresters and protection switches to all circles.