PESHAWAR, March 14: A dispute between the Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) and political administration in the South Waziristan Agency over the payment of dues, has halted Wapda's meter installation campaign in the tribal area bordering Afghanistan, sources said.
Officials said that Tesco officials had turned down the request of the agency's administration to send additional power meters free of cost unless tribal consumers deposit security charges for obtaining electricity connections and pay for the installation of meters.
"Tesco will not provide meters to tribal consumers free of cost, therefore the political administration's request was not entertained," an official said. After differences surfaced between the two entities, the NWFP Governor, Syed Iftekhar Hussain Shah, had to intervene to resolve the issue.
According to sources, the governor had directed Tesco officials to resolve the matter with the agency administration to continue meter installation campaign in the area.
"The governor has made a commitment to bear the cost of power meters to be installed in the agency," he said, adding that the issue still hangs in the balance. He said the company had sufficient stock of meters to be provided to the agency's administration after reaching an agreement.
Tesco officials had offered to reduce price of single phase meters from Rs3,500 to Rs1,100 for the tribal consumers while the price of a three-phase meter would also be minimised, but it would not install the meters for free.
So far the company is installing single-phase meters in the area. The administration in troubled South Waziristan Agency had started meter installation after prolonged negotiations with the tribal elders.
During the last few months, the company, in collaboration with local authorities, had installed 2,000 meters in commercial and industrial zones in Wana town.
Administrator of South Waziristan Agency Mohammad Azam Khan said that meters installation campaign had been suspended after Tesco officials ignored local authorities' requests to send power meters to be installed in commercial and industrial sectors in Wana town.
"Despite repeated requests the company has yet to supply more meters", he said and added that the administration had to suspend the campaign in the area. According to the proposed plan, the company will first install meters in commercial and industrial sectors in South Waziristan Agency.
While in domestic sector in the agency, the process will be started at an appropriate time, as the tribesmen were not willing to allow the administration for this purpose.
A source, quoting Wapda estimates, said that Tesco initially required about 250,000 meters for Fata circle. According to rules Wapda charged Rs3,500 for single-phase electricity meters and the consumers would have to deposit Rs250 as registration fee, the source said.