PESCO Chief To Induct Line Staff Region On Temporary Basis: Jameel Tanoli

The president of Wapda Hydro Union Hazara region Jameel Tanooli said meter reading, bills recovery,electricity maintenance has become the most difficult task in PESCO Hazara circle which led to acute staff shortage

ABBOTTABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Dec, 2020 ) :The president of Wapda Hydro Union Hazara region Jameel Tanooli said meter reading, bills recovery,electricity maintenance has become the most difficult task in PESCO Hazara circle which led to acute staff shortage.

While talking to media here on today he stated that Wapda customers were facing severe problems due to the deficiency of line staff and meter readers to save the department chief executive Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and Chief Circle (CE) Hazara should immediately induct employees on a temporary basis.

While giving the detailed figures of working employees,vacant posts and sanctioned strength of PESCO Hazara region comprising district Haripur and Abbottabad,he said currently 96 Assistant Line Man were working whereas the sanctioned strength were 626 while 530 posts were vacant.

The sanctioned strength of bill distributors was 132, working only were 20 and vacant posts were 112, similarly, class VI sanctioned were 96,vacant were 71 working only were 25,the president added.

He disclosed that on 3813.55-kilometers-long HT lines and 7045.99 LT lines of the region we needed double of the existing sanction strength but unfortunately with the only limited staff we were providing all of the maintenance services to the customers.

The president Hydro Union revealed that during last financial year the electricity billing of the region was 9701.5 million while the collections were 9933.56 million rupees with 102.33 percent recoveries rate in a similar way the losses of PESCO Hazara region was 15 percent those were on the technical ground while the Wapda internal losses were also 15 percent so in general, the PESCO Hazara has maintained the line losses to zero with such a limited strength.

Jameel Tanooli said that now it was becoming more and more difficult for the line staff to record the meter reading,recover the bills, stop electricity theft, ratify every electricity fault and maintain the electricity supply at door to door in district Abbottabad as we were facing a serious shortage of staff.

The president stated that moreover COVID-19 outbreak also increased the pressure on line staff which needed immediate action to address the issue otherwise the system would be paralyzed.

PESCO authorities confirmed APP that the Hazara region was currently working with only 39 percent staff, they also confirmed that the hiring of meter readers and other was in progress whereas NTS has conducted the tests for the vacant posts and soon the interviews of the successful candidates would be held to fill the vacant positions.