PESHAWAR, June 8: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) will achieve its target of providing electricity to all the villages in the NWFP by the end of the year.

Chief Executive of Pesco Brig Sakhi Marjan said this at a meeting which was presided over by chairman of Wapda Tariq Hamid here on Friday. Senior officers of the public utility attended the meeting.

Mr Marjan briefed Mr Hamid about the progress made during the Pesco’s ongoing disconnection and recovery campaign. Line losses and the pace of the development schemes were also discussed.

He said that dozens of electricity connections to various government departments had been severed due to non-payment of arrears which ran into millions. He said that Rs1,341 million still remained outstanding against different government departments in the NWFP.

He asked the chairman of Wapda to take up the matter with the chief minister and the governor.

About the ongoing development projects, the Pesco chief executive said the target given for village electrification for the period ending June 2007 had been achieved.

Mr Marjan said that due to the illegal use of electricity, Pesco was facing huge losses which were fuelling an increase in its financial deficit.

He said that Pesco had registered 23,201 FIRs at various police stations of the province during the last 10 months but action had been taken only on 319 FIRs.

Mr Hamid directed the Pesco officials to improve recovery substantially by the end of June. He promised to take up the matter with the provincial chief minister and governor soon regarding recovery from defaulting government departments.

He directed the authorities concerned to reduce line losses and further enhance recovery so that the company’s financial position could be improved. He also asked them to complete all ongoing village electrification projects by the end of December 2007.