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Controllers asked to issue correct KESC bills

KARACHI: KESC Deputy Managing Director, Col. Mohammad Tariq on Friday warned the billing controllers and recovery officers of severe action for failure to achieve the recovery of monthly power bills or issuance of incorrect bills.

He was presiding over a meeting of the customers services department participated by Col. Saleh Mohammad, Deputy Adviser Implementation, Aslam Rashid Abbasi, G. M., Customer Services, chief engineers, chief controller and billing controllers of the 22 billing zones of Karachi.

The KESC DMD reprimanded the billing officials on their poor recovery performance of the electricity charges, inability to detect power theft and billing discrepancies in their respective zones.

Col. Tariq said that due to negligence in the realisation of power charges the KESC was under serious financial difficulties and facing a deficit of Rs 700 million per month. While the utility was forced to make advance payment of Rs 400 million per month just for the purchase of furnace oil from the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for electricity generation and power purchased from IPPs, he added.

He emphasised that the monthly recovery target of Rs 2 billion should be achieved by the billing controllers for bringing KESC out of its present financial difficulties.

He directed the Billing Department to immediately stop the practice of issuing average bills and the Meter Department should forthwith replace defective powermeters.

He pointed out that besides the recovery of the outstanding KESC bills, quick settlement of disputed bills should be done, while the current energy charges should be recovered timely. APP