MINISTER for Power, Omar Ayub Khan, Monday said the Government had been in the process to introduce a system in the power sector to monitor the low performing DISCOs and to deal with the mafias in the departments. Speaking during the Senate Standing Committee on Power, the Minister said that AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) would be introduced in the low performing power distribution companies – Pesco, Hesco, Sepco and Qesco.
This is a welcome announcement with potential to address major issues facing the power sector in the country as earlier instead of low performing DISCOs the focus of the authorities concerned remained on better performing DISCOs as far as power theft and replacement of meters is concerned. Though according to studies of the NEPRA none of the distribution companies was performing up to the mark and instead performance of some has deteriorated further over years but IESCO is considered to be top performer with close followers Gepco and Mepco. However, instead of taking remedial measures to improve performance of worst performing DISCOs, the authorities have preferred replacing meters repeatedly in high performing distribution companies which amounted to mere loss of money. We hope the pronouncement of the Minister would not prove to be just a hollow claim and practical steps would be taken to weed out broad-daylight power theft in areas in the jurisdiction of companies named by him. Officials of the department are, no doubt, behaving like mafia in all the distribution companies but so far no change of attitude has been observed.
