Power supply disconnection to Fata Secretariat resented

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has disconnected the power supply to the Fata Secretariat despite payment of outstanding dues amounting to over Rs 10.2 million.

A press release on Thursday said the power disconnection had brought the functioning of several departments, including the Department of Information, to a halt.

The Fata Secretariat, located on Warsak Road and housing key offices such as the Secretary and Director General of the Department of Information and Public Relations, along with various other important departments and officials, was disconnected from the power grid by Pesco on Wednesday evening.

This action was taken even though the Secretary of the Department of Information and Public Relations, who also serves as the Secretary of Administration of the Fata Secretariat, had deposited payment of over Rs10.2 million in electricity dues on June 17.

As a result of the disconnection, the operations of departments like the Department of Information and Public Relations, the Department of Minerals and Mineral Development, and the Directorate General of Health were disrupted, causing severe inconvenience to both the public and applicants seeking services from these offices.

When officials of the Fata Secretariat contacted Pesco over the disconnection, they were informed that outstanding dues were still pending against the office of the Director General of Health, from the time when it used to be located at the Health Secretariat on Khyber Road.Officials of the government departments housed in the Fata Secretariat flayed the action, terming Pesco’s move illegal, and demanding action against those responsible for that.