Power consumers to bear Rs12b burden due to DISCOs ‘quota violation’

ISLAMABAD: The power consumers will bear an additional financial burden of Rs12 billion due to ‘quota violations’ of the electricity distribution companies (DISCOs), ARY News reported on Thursday.

The documents obtained by ARY News showed that DISCOs withdrew less electricity by up to 47.28% from their fixed quota from July 2023 to September 2023.

The ‘quota violations’ by the DISCOs would increase an additional financial burden worth Rs12 billion on the power consumers.

The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) withdrew 2.04% less electricity from July to September 2023, Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) 7.87%, Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) 7.86%, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) 14.65%, Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) 13.71%, Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCO) 5.57%, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) 1.07%, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) 18.6%, Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) 5.69% and Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) 47.28%.

Bureaucrats deputation to DISCOs

In September, the officers from the Establishment Division had been deputed to power distribution companies (DISCOs) by the caretaker government for the first time in Pakistan.

The caretaker government approved the deputation of officers from the Establishment Division to the DISCOs for the first time in Pakistan.

A notification was also issued by the caretaker federal government regarding the deputation of 10 Grade-17 officers in different power distribution companies under the administration of the Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA).

According to the notification, Owais Arshad Bhatti from the Centre was deputed to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Rafia Qayyum from Punjab government to Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), Muhammad Murtaza from Punjab to Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), Maham Mushtaq from Punjab to Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), Sarah Loni from Punjab to Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Muhammad Shehzad Ahmed from Sindh government to Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Muhammad Ahmed Ali from Sindh to Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO), Hamoodur Rehman from Sindh to Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCO), Muhammad Hashim Azeem from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and Muhammad Masood Chaudhry from KP to Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO).