Up to 16 power feeders declared loadshedding-free

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Task Force for Energy on Tuesday declared zero loadshedding in 16 out of 99 feeders in the Peshawar district.

The head of the force, Additional Chief Secretary of Home and Tribal Affairs, Muhammad Abid Majeed, said this while presiding over the 8th session of the force.All divisional commissioners, regional police officers, Deputy Secretary of the Energy Department. Ijaz Khan and Chief Executive Officer of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) Engineer Akhtar Hameed attended the meeting.

Abid Majeed said in the next few days, most of the feeders in other districts where target recovery from non-paying consumers and illegal electricity use had been eliminated would be declared loadshedding-free.

The task force has recovered so far one Rs 1.5 billion from the defaulting consumers in Peshawar during in four months.Pesco chief Akhtar Hamid said the Provincial Task Force created for the recovery of dues from the electricity consumers in KP and to stop the misuse of electricity had recovered billions of rupees four months while heavy fines had been imposed on power thieves.

He said out of a total of 99 feeders of Peshawar, a campaign was started for recovery of dues and elimination of power theft in 78 feeders.The Pesco chief said Rs 1.5 billion had been recovered thus far and 5 percent reduction in line losses and 13 pc recovery targets had been increased.

He said that 16 feeders located in different areas of Peshawar had been declared free from Tuesday.The commissioner of Mardan expressed concern over loadshedding in 17 feeders despite the recovery of Rs 2.6 billion.

Orders were issued to the police to find out the reasons for loadshedding in Mardan.Similarly, Tesco officials in the Mula Gori area of Khyber district assured cooperation with the police and district administration for recovery of dues from the commercial customers.