ISLAMABAD, Feb 12: Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) has not yet restored electricity supply to Public Works Department (PWD) complex and power suspension has been badly affecting the official work there.

Power supply to PWD headquarters was disconnected on Dec 28 last year for the non-payment of Iesco dues of Prime Minister House, PM Secretariat, ministers’ colony and other offices.

It is interesting to note that PWD head office itself owes nothing to Iesco in terms of power bill but it is being victimised for the fault of others as different departments and residences of high-ups being managed and looked after by PWD do not pay their bills and enjoy uninterrupted power supply. “We have cleared all electricity bills and the department has no liability in this regard,” a PWD official said.

“Iesco should disconnect electricity supply to the offices and departments which have defaulted on paying arrears. Why are they punishing PWD for the mistakes of others,” a PWD official protested while talking to this reporter.

The official said PWD was responsible for the maintenance of about two dozen government offices and buildings like Supreme Court, Prime Minister House and PM Secretariat etc. “Their utility bills are also paid by PWD but only after finance division releases funds for making payments against the utility bills. We cannot pay their bills from our own resources,” he said.

The official further said they had been requesting finance division to release funds so that outstanding dues of different offices might be cleared but to no avail. Federal Minister for Housing and Works Faisal Saleh Hayat and secretary housing are not paying any attention to the issue, the official lamented.

He requested prime minister to intervene in the matter so that electricity of PWD might be restored. “Only then, we will be will able to restart official works,” he said.

Chief executive officer of Iesco has made it clear that the electricity supply to PWD head office could not be restored until it cleared the outstanding arrears of different government offices.

There are Rs994,6103 outstanding dues against the ministers’ colony, Rs855,7848 against PM House and Rs177,6478 against PM secretariat. Other biggest defaulters are judges’ rest house, Federal Shariat Court, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) etc.