FAISALABAD: Dr. Khurram Tariq, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) has expressed concern over increase in electricity rates without controlling the power pilferage.
In a statement, he said that distribution companies are not only mandated to distribute electricity within their jurisdiction but at the same time they are bound to check line losses, pilferage and ensure hundred percent recoveries of the billed amount. He said that it is the incompetence of the Discos to transfer the financial burden of power theft by a few miscreants on the responsible consumers who regularly pay their bills.
He said that there is no justification to continue this practice as the Discos have dedicated staff to check power theft in addition to enjoying the full support of the concerned government and law enforcing agencies. He said that despite this facility, if Discos failed to discharge their obligations, the onus of their failure should be on the concerned officials and it should not be transferred to the law-abiding consumers.
Dr. Khurram said that concerned provincial governments should take responsibility to check the power theft within their domain and help ensure hundred percent recovery of the electricity supplied to the particular disco.
He proposed that the amount of theft could be deducted from the share of the particular province in the national pool otherwise the vicious circle of power theft could not be checked and rise in electricity tariff would continue without any justification.
Dr. Khurram repeated the principle stand of the FCCI that the recovery of stolen electricity in the area of one Disco could not be recovered from the consumer of the other Discos.
He said that the performance of FESCO is excellent and its recoveries are 99.9% but its consumers pay billions of rupees for the theft of electricity made in the areas of other Discos.
He termed this recovery sheer injustice to the responsible consumers who are regularly paying their bills. He said that if this trend is brought to an end, we could reasonably cut down the electricity bills of the consumers of FESCO.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023