HYDERABAD, Sept 10: Hesco chief executive Brig Tariq Arshad here on Monday said the company was making efforts to improve its system.

Speaking at an open kutchehry at the Dial Das Club, Arshad expressed the hope problems of consumers would be resolved soon.

Looking at the big gathering of the complainants, he said it appeared as if the consumers had not been able to fully grasp the importance of the customer centres, set up in each sub- division, or these centres were not working properly.

He said SDOs, executive engineers and sub-engineers would hold open kutchehries in their areas every Monday and listen to the complaints of consumers.

He said the main cause of power suspension was the old system and added, to combat the situation, work had been started to improve the power supply.

About detection bills, the Hesco chief said efforts were being made to ensure the consumers were not unnecessarily penalized.

Arshad said out of 1.2 million consumers, 130,000 consumers were not paying their bills and Rs4 billion were outstanding against 220,000 consumers.

He said action would be taken against those consumers who had not paid their bills for the last seven months.

He, however, said poor consumers would be allowed to pay their bills in instalments.

The Hesco chief said that by Oct 31, defective meters would be changed and each consumer would be issued a meter reading card.

About over billing, he said 14 officials had been sacked for issuing inflated bills.

COMPLAINT: The owner of the Umaid Ali Ice Factory, Umaid Ali, and his son, Zulfiqar Ali, who filed a complaint with the Hesco chief about detection bill, later told Dawn if justice was not restored to them, they would commit self-immolation.

They said they were being continuously harassed during the last 30 months by the SDO, Paretabad, and were issued double detection bills.

They said power supply to the factory had also been disconnected.

They said they had approached the Wapda chairman and the Hesco chief but their problem had not been resolved so far.

Answering a question, they said their normal monthly bill was Rs80,000 but they had been issued detection bill of Rs400,000.

RECRUITMENT: The Army Selection and Recruitment Centre, Hyderabad, has announced the recruitment programme for September and October.

According to the schedule, recruitment for the army will continue at the recruitment centre, Hyderabad, up to Oct 30, on working days.