Power firms to face action over cutting off supply to bill payers

KARACHI: The Sindh Energy Department will take action against the electricity companies that unjustly cut off power supply to consumers who regularly pay their bills because of a few defaulter consumers in the area, Energy and Planning & Development (P&D) Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said while addressing an energy-related event on Monday.

Shah said the government is concerned about the growing consumer complaints such as over-billing, unannounced load-shedding, and unnecessary power cuts by electricity distribution companies in the province.

He said that according to the vision of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the energy department is preparing a strategy to address the complaints of the consumers and take action in this regard.

He also said that alternative energy is the need of the hour. He pointed out that the sources of alternative energy in the province are unlimited. Shah said the energy department is engaged in taking practical steps to utilise these natural alternative energy sources. The PPP chief’s vision is to light up every house in the province and provide them with electricity through solarisation, he added.

He said that under this vision, the energy department is providing solar systems to 500,000 families living in the most backward areas of the province.

Apart from this, he added, they are providing power to 200,000 households through solarisation with the support of the World Bank. The minister said that according to the PPP chairman’s manifesto, the P&D department is taking rapid steps regarding the construction of two million houses.

He said that there are ample opportunities for domestic and foreign investment in alternative energy projects, and the province is very fertile in this regard.

He also said that measures are in progress regarding four big solar parks. According to the PPP chief’s vision of a developed Sindh, many steps have been taken regarding highways, overhead bridges, underpasses, signal-free corridors, and water and sewage systems, he added.