PESHAWAR, March 6: Federal Minister for Water and Power Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has directed the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) to take stern action against people involved in electricity theft.

Presiding over a meeting held to review the performance of Pesco here on Saturday, Mr Sherpao asked officials concerned to launch an operation against misuse of the facility.

He said the NWFP governor and chief minister should also be consulted before action was taken against unscrupulous elements in the Frontier and the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Accordingto a press release, theministerexpressed satisfaction over Pesco's performance and the reduction recorded in line losses by the company during the last financial year. However, he asked Pesco authorities to take appropriate measuresand acquire equipment to completeitson-going development projects in time and prepare for the up-coming summer season.

Earlier, Mr Sherpao was apprised about Pesco's development activities and its intended initiatives in different parts of the province and Fata.

He was informed that work on development projects involving a total investment of Rs 7.9 billion would shortly be undertaken soon in different parts of the province.

The projects include the laying of Mansehra transmission line and establishment of 220-kv grid stations at Mansehra, Tarbela and Sangjani.

The minister was also informed about the development work completed during the 2002-03 financial year.

He was apprised about 1,469 projects were being executed at a cost of Rs 1.05 billion to improve distribution network in various parts of the province.

The chief executive of Pesco, according to the release, informed the minister that the distribution network in the NWFP had been energised and problems relating to power supply had been overcome.

The minister asked officers of the Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) to prepare a line of action to start recovery of monthly electricity charges from consumers in Fata.

He said that the monthly electricity bill of the Fata consumers came to about Rs 800 million, whereas Wapda hardly recovered one per cent of the total electricity consumption charges in the areas.