PESHAWAR: Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) intends to completely close down six feeders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa owing to huge line losses.

Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali addressing a press conference here at WAPDA house said that the feeders to be shut down were facing 80 to 100 per cent losses.

He mentioned that out of 1,252 consumers of 11 KV Warsak feeder in Peshawar nobody is paying bill while PESCO have to receive 172 million outstanding dues from them.

Similarly, he said that in new Mattanai area, located in outskirts of Peshawar, 81 consumers out of 2038 consumers were paying bill while rest of the consumers were involved in power pilferage. PESCO have to get Rs. 310 million from the area.

In Norang area of District Bannu, as many as 4386 people were consuming electricity while 263 people were paying bills. Rs 343 million are outstanding in the area, he added.

In Karak district 437 people were paying electricity bills out of 4774 consumers who were having Rs. 462 billion outstanding dues under the head of electricity bills.

He said that it was very shocking that as many as 12906 consumers in Basham, Tank, Kolachi, Domail, Tajazai areas were consuming electricity but only 919 people were paying bills.

The Minister said that the public representatives should have to cooperate with PESCO in recovery of bills instead of threatening and insulting PESCO officials.

Appreciating the performance of PESCO he mentioned that in one month PESCO saved Rs. 1.3 billion by not consuming units allocated to it.

To a question, he said that in Punjab 83,000 people were apprehended on power pilferage charges, adding that recoveries are also being made from them.

He said that 600 transformers have been removed in Sakkhar area in Sindh where line losses were increasing day by day.

Abid Sher Ali said the Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif have extended Rs. 4 billion for PESCO to improve electricity supply and to change the outdated transmission lines.

He said that PESCO had attained achievements on 80 feeders in KP while 30 feeders were facing huge losses. Efforts are underway to improve electricity supply in KP, he asserted.

Responding to another question, the state minister said that PESCO is planning to outsource some feeders where line losses are higher.

He informed that efforts are also underway to add 1500 to 2000 MW in the national grid by June this year, adding that a project to generate 260 MW electricity through coal in Jamshuro area is in process, 260 MW Gaddu project would be completed before June, 150 MW three Wind Mills' projects would also completed soon that would help to reduce electricity charges and loadshedding as well.

The state minister said the government is planning to reactivate Rental Power projects and get 300 MW electricity from those on the charges of Rs. 16 per unit.

He said that electricity theft is not a political issue rather it is a nation problem and everyone including parliamentarians should have to help curb power pilferage.

He deplored that when the Power Theft bill was tabled in the parliament, many parliamentarians staged walk out from the House in protest against the bill.

Source: APP