QUETTA, Oct 12 (APP): Balochistan Caretaker Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Khan Domki on Thursday directed the Chief Executive Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) to restore electricity to the agricultural sector by tomorrow to the convenience of the farmers.
He ordered to constitution of a sub-committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary Energy Department and Commissioner Quetta Division to hold discussions with farmers for payment of due arrears, installation of meters and action plan against illegal tube wells.
The meeting under the chairmanship of CM has also decided to take action against sixteen thousand illegal tube wells and the supply of electricity to legal tube wells should be restored immediately.
He said power outages in this season will cause the destruction of the agricultural sector and electricity should be provided to legal tube wells at least eight hours in a day.
The QESCO should cooperate with the farmers as much as possible, he said and added that the government will be fully cooperating to recover the arrears.
CM Domki said that the government has cooperated at the administrative level in the past for the recovery of arrears owed by consumers and will continue to do so in the future.
He stated that the officials of FC, Police and Levies will help to tackle electricity theft in B-areas of the province.
CM Balochistan emphasized that QESCO should also reform its organization and take action against officials involved in illegal affairs.
Balochistan Finance Secretary Zahid Saleem told the meeting that during the last two financial years, Rs 8 billion have been paid to QESCO for the payment of agricultural subsidy dues, while in June this year, Rs 82 million has been paid in the form of government dues.
Zahid Saleem said that in spite of the difficult financial conditions, the government of Balochistan is ready to pay one billion rupees to QESCO in terms of agricultural subsidy dues in order to protect the farmers from agricultural loss, however, QESCO should also take effective steps to recover the dues.
In the meeting, QESCO Chief Abdul Karim Jamali said that the agricultural consumers owe the power utility around Rs 437 billion and Rs32 billion is outstanding against the private consumers, due to which QESCO is facing a financial loss.
QESCO Chief said that the operation for recovery of dues and disconnection of illegal connections would be started in the B-area of Balochistan and a letter has been sent to the Home Department for the provision of force.