HYDERABAD, Jan 5 DCO Aftab Ahmed Khatri on Monday criticised Hesco's practice of replacing electric meters in government departments without informing the management concerned and warned that in future the power utility would not be allowed to change the meter or issue detection bills.

He said at a meeting on Hesco's disputes with the offices of district government over billing that the practice was a violation of the terms of reference set by the government.

He directed the Hesco officers not to allow bulk meter to any government department but distribute electric load among individual offices and charge accordingly.

He asked the management of all administrative departments of the district government not to pay bills until and unless they had physically verified the reading.

He warned that severe action would be taken against the officials responsible for blindly paying electric bills and said that the district government was committed to clear its power bills and the District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil had allocated an additional amount of Rs9.4 million to clear dues last year.

Mr Khatri directed all administrative departments of the district government to clear all reconciled Hesco dues by Jan 15, 2009 for which they had received allocated funds.

He directed them to get their electric meters separated from the offices of provincial departments so that payment of dues on account of their own consumption should be made at the earliest.

The EDO of finance and planning Miandad Rahoojo, EDO of education Niaz Leghari, EDO of works and services Masood Memon, EDO of CDD Mir Aijaz Hussain Talpur, and officers from other departments attended the meeting.

PRISON The DCO has urged the management of the Hyderabad Central Prison to construct sleeping platforms at 10 male and one female barrack at the prison with the financial support of local philanthropists within a week.

He said at a meeting on provision of hygienic atmosphere in the prison on Monday that the members of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry had offered help in bringing structural reforms in the prison.

He said that better living conditions and better learning opportunities would convert jails into reformation centres and urged the non-governmental organisations to play their role in this regard.

He asked the managements of prisons to identify their problems and submit suggestions for their solution so that the problems could be resolved through concerned organisations.