On behalf of the
Electricity workers and myself, we fully share the concern and sufferings of
the citizens on account of serious load shedding and rising cost of tariff of
electricity. It is the consequential effect of the flawed policies of the
previous successive Governments which instead of building new Hydel Power
Stations, had resorted to develop high cost of generation through Rental and
Independent Thermal Power Houses while the cost of Independent Hydel comes to
Rs.1.70- per unit whereas the cost of Thermal Power Houses comes to almost
Rs.20/- per unit to onward.
Through the esteemed
columns of the national newspapers and courtesy of the electronic media we take
this opportunity to inform the policy makers and the public opinion that the
Electricity workers perform most the hazardous nature of work round the clock
even on Eid-ul-Fiter day and sacrifice their lives more than 200 workers who
die every year while performing their duties and far more become permanently
disabled every year. In recent days, six workers have been electrocuted during
the performance of their duties alone in LESCO and two at Taunsa Sharif Sub
Division, MEPCO at the day before yesterday during the performance of their
duties. It speak itself how devotedly they perform their duties in the public
interest. One of the cause of these tragic accidents is over burdening of the
existing field staff which is far lesser than the prescribed yardstick of the
utility on account of ban on recruitment for many years on one hand and the
rising quantum of work day to day due to construction of new Electricity Lines
and Grid Stations and installation of the new Electricity connections. The
retirement of the senior staff has been adding fire to the fuel. It is
regretful that despite the sufferings of the workers, the Government has
failed to provide requisite material including transformers, conductors and
meters, transport and others to the staff for maintaining the supply
effectively for which the utility is blamed on this account. Despite performing these hazardous nature of
work round the clock, the officials of LESCO are being harassed by FIA on
unfounded basis which is not conducive for efficient performance of duties by
the staff in the public interest. The Government of Pakistan instead of
affective regulation and monitoring the work of DISCOs has given their control
to the private Members
of the Board of Directors who have no investment. It is alarming that the
Government instead of taking measures to improve the efficiency of the Utility
have been resorting to privatization. In view of the above, we strongly demand
to the Prime Minister of Pakistan that it should take following measures to
tackle the woes of electricity consumers and electricity workers on war footing
basis by:
(a) Filing up the posts
lying vacant for years and provide the staff according to prescribed yardstick
to lessen the work of overburdening staff and efficiency of work;
(b) Government arranged
electricity material including transformers, conductors, meters, vehicles etc
for efficient maintenance of electricity lines and supply of electricity;
(c) Provide security to
the field staff for detection of
pilferage of energy and recovery of its lawful dues against the lawlessness of
miscreants;
(d) Government of closed
commercial centres at 07:00 PM alike other countries and divert surplus energy
for domestic and industrial consumers;
(e) Not to privatize the
National Public Utility of Electricity, since the privatization of Multan and
Rawalpindi and Karachi Electric Supply Corporation had proved failures;
(f) Handover the control
of DISCOs, GENCOs, NTDC to WAPDA or PEPCO for efficient monitoring and
coordination instead of handing over to private Members of BODs;
(g) Get stopped the undue
harassment of electricity employees during the performance of their duties;
(h) Built Hydel Power
Stations in the public sectors on war footing basis in order to overcome
load shedding and high cost of production of electricity through Independent
Power Projects and Rental Power Stations.
In case, the
government does not resolve these issues in the public interest, the workers
would be compelled to launch movement of protest.
