Y2k or human error?.....

Sat 22 Jan 2000

Pakistan: Politics

Controllers asked to issue correct electricity bills KARACHI (January 22) : KESC Deputy Managing Director, Col. Muhammad 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 Colonel Saleh Muhammad, Deputy Adviser Implementation, Aslam Rashid Abbasi, General Manager, Customer Services, chief engineers, chief controller and billing controllers of the 22 billing zones of Karachi.

The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation deputy managing director 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 Karachi Electric Supply Corporation 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 power meters.

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 (Associated Press of Pakistan)

Source: The Business Recorder, Pakistan

http://www.brecorder.com/story/S00DD/SDA22/SDA22326.htm

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), March 18, 2000