close
Friday March 29, 2024

CEOs standoff puts Fesco functioning in jeopardy

By Khalid Mustafa
September 24, 2020

ISLAMABAD: The fate of one important electric power distribution company -- Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) is in quandary because of fight within the DISCO over the slot of chief executive officer has heightened.

The employees of utility are quite upset as they do not know exactly who their CEO is and to whom they should comply with and this state of uncertainty has put the whole functioning of the DISCO in the lurch. Fesco is a public sector utility company and is responsible for provision of the electricity to a large area comprising eight districts that include Faisalabad, Sargodha, Chiniot, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Bhakkar, Khushab and Mianwali. The unrest among the officers and staff of Fesco is on the rise owing to which the performance of the DISCO is suffering badly.

The story of the crisis in Fesco started when the Board of Directors of the said DISCO removed the CEO of Fesco Shafiqul Hassan, but later on Lahore High Court restored him. However in the meantime, BoD appointed Engineer Arshad Munir as CEO of Fesco.

Now under the new scenario, Shafiqul Hassan after termination of the notification by the court of law took the charge forcibly along with the labour union leaders of the Fesco.

Shafiqul Hasan ex-CEO Fesco issued notification on September 14, 2020 by himself that he has taken over the charge of CEO Fesco and notification number allotted is of office of GM office not of Admin section.

All this has been revealed in a letter of existing CEO Engineer Arshad Munir written to the Federal Energy Minister and MD Pepco. The letter of which copy is available with The News says that Fesco management sought the legal opinion in respect of order of Lahore High Court from Aurangzeb Mirza Advocate Supreme Court Lahore. According to the opinion of Aurangzeb Mirza, he (Engineer Arshad Munir) is lawfully authorised to continue performing the duties as CEO of Fesco.

The letter goes to say that afterwards on September 14, 2020 Shafiqul Hassan, former CEO Fesco along with representatives of labour union approximately 80 to 100 entered headquarter Fesco and threatened the security staff on duty for opening the door of office of CEO despite prior cautioning by Deputy Director security and forcibly took over the chair of CEO Fesco and started to issue instructions.