Zong accuses Discos of massively overcharging through defective meters

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Mobile Company, CMPAK Limited (Zong) has accused power Distribution Companies (Discos) of massively overcharging through defective metres which accounts for a serious impact and adverse contribution to the Company’s financial position under the prevailing economic circumstances in the country.

Chief Technical Officer, CMPAK Limited (Zong), Lu Jianhui, brought the adverse situation to the notice of Power Division through a letter.

The company noted that it is a Corporate Customer by virtue of engagement in an Agreement of prepaid /advance billing with all Discos including K-Electric since 2007 with 9800 connections running under the jurisdiction of Discos andaverage monthly billing of about Rs 1.75 billion, with nothing outstanding since the engagement in an agreement of prepaid billing till date.

On the contrary, the company is facing constraints in replacement of defective metres as well as non-cooperation from field offices of Discos which also puts negative impact in the billing carried out by field offices by way of charging extra units without keeping in view the load position /consumption history of the connections against defective metres and the up-to-date status of Defective Metres in each Disco with the aging of these metres.

Of total 664 defective metres, 229 are in SEPCO, 146 LESCO, 107 HESCO, 56 QESCO, 34 PESCO, 34 GEPCO, 15 K-Electric, 10 FESCO, 7 MEPCO and 6 IESCO.

According to the company, 105 metres are defective for above one year, 273 six to twelve months and 266 are defective from one to six months.

“This state of affairs of non-replacement of defective metres is very alarming and due to this reason millions of units are over charged under the lame excuse of non-availability of metres in Discos which otherwise are effecting CMPAK Ltd to meet its financial commitments in introducing new innovations in the telecom industry,” said Lu Jianhui, Chief Technical Officer, Zong.

The company has also claimed that the current rapidly changing economic situation in the country has also put its operations under tremendous pressure and due to the non-replacement of defective metres have a serious impact and adverse contribution towards company’s financial position under the prevailing economic circumstances in the country.

The CMPAK Limited is also determined to introduce the new innovations in the Telecom Industry in the shape of 5G keeping in view the research and experience of China Mobile Communication Corporation, a State owned Corporation of China.

The company expressed its hope that coordination and help from distribution companies will produce fruitful results and benefits for the Government entities.

The CMPAK Limited has requested that Discos be advised to ensure:(i) replacement of defective metres at the earliest in order to apprise its networking system already providing technical service to different Government departments as well as the public; (ii) charging units against defective metres as per running road of metre or the consumption of the active metre before declaring “EST-DEF”; and (iii) in cases of non-availability of metres in some Discos, NOC may be issued to the CMPAK by concerned Discos for purchase of metres from their approved vendors.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023