Over the past four months, PESCO has been a
nightmare for the poor and the needy in Nowshera district. Overbilling is a
concept that many in Pakistan are very familiar with but the one being carried
out in Nowshera Cantt one and Cantt two is of a different kind. What they have
been doing this time around is that not only have they overbilled the consumers
but they have also reversed the consumed units on the bills and the meters;
which they justify by using the term “REPLACED”. This means, not only did the
consumer pay for the overbilled units but he now has to pay for them again. When
I inquired about this cruelty, I was told that this was in accordance to the
instructions and directions of the officials and directors of PESCO. As an
intellectual and as a social worker, I am completely baffled as to what the
logic of such an order would be.
Why would they want to bill a consumer who doesn’t
own an iron or a fridge and lives in a house that comprises of a single room
hundreds to thousands of units instead of the fifty or sixty units they
actually consumed. To add to this injustice, this is not being done with
consumers who don’t pay their bill; it is actually being done to consumers who
pay their monthly bills on a regular basis. So in other words, PESCO is
punishing those who have made it a habit to pay for their bills regardless of
whether or not they are overbilled. Please note, none of these claims are
superficial or without proof; I can provide documentary proof of what I have
claimed. The proof will be in the form that is admissible in court and supports
the argument and issue stated herein.
In an attempt to use the media for the means that it
is actually meant for, I would like to urge and demand from the officials,
directors and policy makers of PESCO to please cease this. I also demand that
an order is issued which nullifies the previous order and instructs the
responsible of PESCO to repay the unjust payments taken from consumers via the
means of overbilling.
I would also like to utilize this medium of mass
communication to point out the fact that those who do not pay their bills, who
steal electricity or can be classified as criminals and violators of applicable
law remain unaffected. They can do so whatever they wish, they can steal
electricity and they don’t even have to worry about the bill. Instead of them,
those who are paying their bills are forced to compensate.
It is understandable that PESCO may have its debts
and may have financial implications and necessities. However, taking it out
from the needy and the dutiful is not the way to solve those issues. A better solution would be to encourage those
who pay their bills by being just and fair to and be strict towards those who
do not.
As a solution, I suggest that PESCO should involve
the District level representatives (Nazims, Counselors etc) to help them
‘encourage’ those who do not pay their bills. By doing so, the large amounts of
financial implications being forced on regular consumers would no doubt be no
longer necessary.
In my humble opinion, policies should be directed at
encouraging those who follow the law and pay their dues and punishing those who
do not; instead unfortunately, our policies force those who are not corrupt to
be so. As by being corrupt, they can actually reap far more benefits. Honestly,
in light of this current scenario, thinking of stealing electricity would be
more justified instead of paying for it. That is not what policies should do.
PESCO really needs to revise its policies and its strategies so that it can
allow and motivate people into becoming a more contributive part of the society
instead of becoming a cancer to it by getting involved in corruption.
- A report by a social worker, my father: Khawaja Farakh Latif.
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