PESHAWAR, Jan 11: Afghan elders have refuted a Peshawar Electric Supply Company's claim that the inhabitants of the refugee camps owe over Rs55 million dues to the Pesco.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, a refugee elder, Zar Maskeen, criticized the Pesco authorities for disconnecting electricity supply to the camps in the Khyber and Peshawar circles of the company.

Accompanied by the representatives of various refugee camps, Mr Maskeen asked the Pesco authorities to restore the supply and settle the arrears issue through negotiations.

"Pesco officials have exaggerated figures," he said, adding that refugees had paid the fine to the company on time, but that amount had not been deducted from the bills. He pointed out that the late bill surcharge was being accumulated against the paid bills.

Mr Maskeen said the ombudsman had decided various cases in favour of refugees, but the company had not complied with those decisions. "We are being charged for the line losses of Wapda which is unjust," he complained.

Initially, he said, they were being charged commercial rates but later they appealed to the then federal minister for water and power for the change of consumer category to domestic.

He said it had been agreed at a meeting that millions of rupees received by the Pesco as additional amount would be adjusted, but the company instead of doing so had disconnected the electricity supply to the refugee camps.