Pesco official seeks help of people to curb power theft

TIMERGARA: An official of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), Swat circle, on Saturday vowed to go after power thieves and urged the people to cooperate in curbing the menace.

"There will be no compromise on power stealing because it is a national crime," Muhammad Israr Khan, Superintendent Engineer, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), Swat circle, told a Khuli Kutchehry here.

Elders of Talash Dushkhel Qaumi Islahi Jirga, local political activists, local government representatives and power consumers highlighted problems and complained that work on Talash feeder from Saddo gridstation could not be started despite approval a year ago.

The consumers also complained about over billing, inflated bills and wrong meter reading in the area. They said that the poor consumers were being heavily fined on routine basis without any solid reasons. The jirga's president Malik Taj Muhammad Khan, Ibrahim Khan, district council members Hakeem Khan, Malik Barkat Khan, JUI-F Qazi Ayazuddin, Sher Muhammad, PPP's Fazal Wahab Swati and others spoke on the occasion.

They said the people of Talash always faced unscheduled power outages and low voltage in summer. The establishment of separate gridstation in Talash was the only solution to the problem, they added.

The Pesco Swat circle SE, while responding to consumers' complaints, said that 20 percent of the materials for Talash feeder had been received while the rest would soon be dispatched. He said that work on the feeder would be started soon.

The SE said that the power stealing had been the biggest problem and the Pesco alone could not overcome the issue. He said that general public should cooperate with Pesco officials in curbing power theft.