HYDERABAD, July 3: The Chief Executive of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), Brig Tariq Arshad, has tipped tough new measures to check power-theft and said that joint teams with businessman community would be formed to detect the theft in commercial areas.
He said FIRs would be lodged against power-thieves, electric supply to them would be discontinued and detection bills would be issued to cover the loss.
He was talking to a delegation of the All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industry which called on him at his office here on Tuesday.
Muhammad Fayaz Awan led the delegation and apprised him of the problems facing the businessmen community with regard to the electric supply, billing and the Hesco officials’ behaviour.
Brig Arshad told the delegation that Hesco was running into deficit because 50 per cent of the consumers failed to pay their bills and power-theft was rampant. He claimed that the company would be destroyed if he did not adopt strict measures.
Conceding no positive change over the last three months, he expressed the hope that an improvement would be visible very soon.
He reiterated his stand that the crystal meters were not at all faulty or speedy but accepted that a human error could cause issuance of inflated bills.
The Hesco chief indicated that some corrupt officials were trying to sabotage the ‘transparent’ system and expressed his determination to make the company self-sufficient. He said many an official and employee had been sacked and the other corrupt employees would also be sent packing.
He pledged all out efforts to provide better facilities to the consumers. Referring to the growing protest against detection bills and other grievances, he stood-by his contention that only power-thieves were crying while there were no complaints from those who used to pay their bills regularly.
COMPLAINTS: The Naib Nazim of Hyderabad Taluka City Council, Qadeer Nagar, here on Wednesday called on the Hesco chief, Brig Tariq Arshad, and apprised him of the complaints from consumers regarding detection bills.
The Hesco chief held out the assurance that he would soon address the members of the council and acquaint himself of the problems.
He told Mr Nagar that strict instructions had been given to the Hesco officials that detection bills should be issued only after a thorough investigation and verification in the cases of power-theft.
He said that no detection bill should exceed an average three-month consumption.
MA FINAL RESULTS: The controller of examinations, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, on Wednesday announced the results of MA (final) annual examination of 2001 of various disciplines.
The results of Arabic, Economics, English, Islamic Culture, Journalism, International Relations, Muslim History, Political Science, Sindhi, Sociology and Urdu subjects of government degree colleges, affiliated with the university, were announced.
Out of 2,225 students, who appeared in the examinations, 31 students were declared pass in first class, 997 in second class, and 324 students were declared pass in third class.