HYDERABAD, June 29: Though Hyderabad Electricity Company (Hesco) restored power to Water and Sanitation Agency's (Wasa) filter plants on Wednesday on the pursuance of the DCO Hyderabad, Aftab Ahmed Khatri but the issue of 'bill clearance' is yet not resolved.

Hesco disconnected power supply to Wasa on Tuesday over non-payment of dues of around Rs1,095 million, said Mehmood Qaimkhani, chief of the commercial section of the utility.

Disconnection of power to filter plants resulted in disruption of water to the city, hence forcing Mr Khatri to intervene in view of looming water crisis.

The Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), the parent body of Wasa had yet not made any payments because of its financial inability. It even told Hesco to disconnect power to filter plants and face water shortage.

Hesco officials know the HDA will be able to pay dues only on Sindh government's initiative. However, the provincial government is yet to make a commitment regarding dues clearance. Officials said the Authority doesn't even have funds to pay salaries to its employees who often take to streets, what to say of utility dues. Moreover, its Director-General Ghulam Mohammad is said to have written letters to the local bodies department of the province to clear Hesco dues as was its practice.

A summary had already been sent to the Chief Minister to lessen the burden of the HDA by paying salaries to its employees from BPS-1 to 11, informed Additional Chief Secretary Ali Ahmed Loond.

This would enable the Authority to begin clearing the dues, gradually.

Hesco is also demanding to clear dues through current payments being made by the consumers against sanctioned meters of the HDA and the Wasa while collections from unsanctioned meters are made by the utility on its own and also through detection billing.

The HDA have to pay Rs1,095 million immediately while the volume of other dues was too big and had been kept aside, said Qaimkhani. Even current bills were not being cleared putting power utility in a tight position.

Punjab government pays salaries of the above mentioned posts of Wasa from its own, said Mr Loond.

Hesco restored power supply to only one feeder last night and to the second on Wednesday afternoon. Water supply from Fatima Jinnah road (Thandi Sarak) began in the evening only to be disrupted by the loadshedding. Water available in lines was falling into the reservoir through gravitational flow.

MD Wasa Shafiq Arain said water supply would be normalized in two to three days and tail-end areas would remain affected for another couple of days.