KARACHI - After a detailed discussion and deliberations between the representatives of Federal Power Ministry/Pepco/Wapda and Sindh government, in a lengthy meeting, decided that the provincial government will pay the reconciled amount of Rs2.5 billion up to June 2010 against Rs25.8 billion, which were declared as excessive and disputed and will be waived of by the Pepco. The meeting decided that electricity bills during the period of July 2010 to December 2012 will be examined under joint survey reports and matter will be reconciled and decided within 15 days.This was decided at a high level meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to discuss the old dispute of electricity bills. The meeting was also attended among others by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Federal Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, federal secretary of water and power Nargis Sethi, Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah, Minister Sindh Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani, ACS Finance Arif Ahmed Khan, Chief Executive Officer of Hesco, senior officials of from the Sepco and others.After detailed discussion, the meeting decided that all defective/unmetered connections will be replaced in one month and bulk supply meters will be replaced by individual meters.Sindh government will pay Rs1.69294 billion for actual bills against 7751 healthy electricity connections while the payment against 7518 defective/unmetered connections will be made on the basis of connected load as Rs2.180 billion will be paid through an agreement. It was also decided that list of names of disowned/illegal electricity connections will be published in newspapers, while the agreed connections will further be visited, examined, checked and fully reconciled within 8 days while the issue of installation of meter will be decided in the next meeting. The meeting was informed that the Sindh government has made utmost efforts towards settlement of outstanding amount against electricity billing/claims pertaining to Hesco and Sepco, which is excessive as compared to other provinces.The meeting was informed that regarding disputed electricity dues of Pepco’s past bills till June 2010 an agreement for reconciliation was signed in April 2010 for payment of RS3.9 billion, while unauthorised connections added after base year 2002-03 remained unaccounted. It was informed that Pepco’s claim of Rs25.8 billion up to June 2010 due to excessive/exaggerated, as such Hesco billing was settled at Rs3.9 billion in pursuance of agreement on April 11, 2010 while the unauthorised connections which the Hesco claimed to 8500 numbers with billing amount of Rs9.75 billion remained unaccounted for.The meeting was informed that a high level meeting was presided over by Federal Minister for Water and Power on April 29, 2012 for settlement of issue.The meeting was further informed that there are 28590 electric connections lying with Sindh government, out of which 19,500 are working connections. According to details, the Sindh government disowned 9594 connections which include 3433 connections permanently disconnected, 5166 were not in use; 544 residential electricity connections, 313 private, 30 connections of mosques and 108 electricity connections pertained to the offices of federal government.The Sindh chief minister stressed the need to resolve the issue amicably, as this matter is very old while the government of Sindh will make payment. He stressed the participants to thoroughly examine the reports pertaining to survey, reconciliation of admissible bills and clarify the healthy connections, defective/unmetered connections and others.Nargis Sethi in view of unanimous decision, directed the CEO Hesco and Sepco that those connections, which the government of Sindh has agreed be kept; while all the disowned connections be immediately disconnected within three days.