ISLAMABAD    -   The informal sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Power on Monday informed that rules and regulations had been ignored on a large scale in the recruitment process of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO).

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Power was held under Senator Fida Muhammad Chair was briefed regarding alleged removal of domestic meters of small farmers for running mono motors on single phase domestic connections by GEPCO.

Further discussion on Points of Public Importance regarding provision of electricity to Chromite mining area of Muslim Bagh, district Qilla Saifullah, Balochistan raised by Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar and Transparency in the recruitment process of Meter Readers resumed. 

The Report of the Senate Standing Committee on Power on a Point of Public Importance regarding ‘Exact figure of Circular Debt” raised by Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak was adopted. 

During further consideration of Point of Public Importance regarding transparency in the recruitment process of meter readers and linemen in PESCO, raised by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed the Committee was informed that members of the informal sub-Committee Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak and Senator Mushtaq Ahmed visited the PESCO Head Quarter.  Both the Senators held detailed discussions with CEO and DG (HR) and analysed the information / data presented to them.  It was asserted that recruitment rules and regulation had been ignored on a large scale.  The irony of the matter was that those who did this had retired. 

The meeting discussed in detail over the alleged removal of domestic meters of small farmers for running mono motors on single phase domestic meters for irrigation of their fields, the Committee was informed that running mono motors on single phase domestic connections was illegal and for that purpose the consumers needed to apply for three phase agricultural tube well connections. The Committee was further informed that applying for Agricultural connections would benefit the consumers immensely since tariff is subsidized.   The Power Division was directed to provide Agricultural Tube Well Connections Policy to the Committee. 

Further revisiting the Point of Public Importance regarding “provision of electricity to Chromite mining areas of Muslim Bagh, District Qilla Saifullah, Balochistan raised by Senator Usman Khan Kakar, the Committee was informed that in compliance of the directives of the Committee given during the meeting held on 18 August, 2020, the revised PC-1 amounting to PKR 258,075 million with 20 percent grid sharing cost has been prepared.  Since the electrification is beyond QESCO’s scope, the Power Division was of the view that funds may be arranged and remitted to QESCO for provision of electricity to Chrome mines at Tehsil Muslim Bagh. Minister for Energy, Power Division; Mr. Omar Ayub Khan informed the Committee that the Prime Minister has approved a package for Southern and Northern Balochistan through the National Developmental Council (NDC). He assured the Committee that he would speak to Mr. Asad Umar to get it approved either from NDC or have it included in the PSDP. 

Senator Maula Bakhsh Chandio raised the issue of long hour electricity breakdown in HESCO jurisdiction. He alleged that faulty transformers are not being replaced by HESCO from its own resources and instead consumers are being charged for new transformers. Senator Chandio further said that the chief of the HESCO is behaving like a viceroy and avoid meeting or listening with the people. The Discos are not ready to listen to the complaints. Chairman of the committee said that if the Discos are not ready to talk to the parliamentarians, how they will listen to the common man. The federal minister of energy Omer Ayub however said that it is the responsibility of the Discos to replace the transformers.