ISLAMABAD : Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) has held worst law and order situation in five districts of Sindh responsible for its unsatisfactory performance with respect to recovery and losses, Newzshewz has learnt reliably.
SEPCO is worst performing Discos after QESCO and PESCO, which contribute almost half of total financial loss of the power sector. This year, the government has projected Discos financial loss of Rs 590 billion.
” The law & order position in upper Sindh is very bad and specially in the Districts of Dadu, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kadhkot-Kashmore and Ghotki is worst. One can not move freely on the roads of these district even in day time. The District Administration and Police Department has also restricted the frequent movement of SEPCO Staff / Officers in these areas,” said CEO SEPCO in letter to Power Division.
According to CEO SEPCO, he took over the charge in November last year, after which he initiated concrete efforts to improve the critical position of ” decrease in recovery and increase in T&D losses” which were persistent since July 2022 and onwards.
He has claimed that recovery totaling recovery from December 2024 to March 2025 stood at Rs 17078.5 million against billing of Rs 20555.9 million which was 83.1 per cent against target of 80 peer cent set by the Board.
Power Minister, Awais Leghari has failed to reconstitute the Boards of HESCO and SEPCO due to political considerations as some PPP powerful people does not want any change in the Boards. This is the reason, Power Division’s summary on new Boards of both Discos of interior Sindh has been put on ice.
There are no any industrial estates, commercial plazas, shopping malls in the jurisdiction of SEPCO. The Discos depends mainly upon revenue from domestic consumers. The details of consumer categories are as follows ;(i) domestic, 80 per cent with 39.1 percentage recovery ;(ii) commercial 15 percent with 96.7 per cent recovery ;(iii) industrial 2 per cent with 92.5 per cent recovery, agriculture tube well 1 per cent , 78.8 per cent recovery and others 2 per cent with 37.8 per cent recovery.
Similarly, PESCO feed only 6.6 per cent electricity to urban areas. Of total 599 feeders, 40 urban areas ( 6.6 per cent), 199 urban/ rural mixed ( 33.2 per cent) and 360 rural ( 60.1 per cent).
Strategic coordination and cooperation with DSU is yielding unmatched results in recovery and theft control. Anti Theft campaign to eliminate Kunda culture and to create deterrence with the help of law enforcing agencies have been started with full zeal and zest and operations removing of transformers have been carried out at un-approachable / crucial / chronic and influential defaulters causing betterment in current and future performance .
CEO is of the view that Despite all these hurdles and difficulties, he has performed more better than previous as is evident from recoveries and rationalizing of billing especially GoS billing.
In order to enhance the pace of revenue collection / recovery, the following measures / steps will be taken ;(i) special lists of defaulting consumers issued from headquarter to field formation through commercial directorate ;(ii) focusing on soft/ easy targets of defaulters list for big results with little efforts ; and (iii) special duties are assigned to all Chief Engineers of SEPCO for monitoring of recovery campaign. Focusing on grey areas, where SEPCO recoveries are poor.
The CEO has also mentioned recovery from Sindh Government’s departments on the basis of reconciled and verified claims.
He has also mentioned shortage of manpower, saying that the Disco is performing with 37 per cent staff against the sanctioned staff. SEPCO had sought permission from Power Division for appointments against critical posts of 844 Posts but allowed only for 154 posts.
There is an acute shortage of vehicles in SEPCO and it is very difficult to perform essential duties in the field for continuity of supply, disconnection of defaulter connections and maintaining the complaint redressal system. Even it is difficult to provide logistic support to DSU for raiding teams, he concluded.
Interestingly, CEO has not even touched the issue of corruption the Disco despite the fact, there are number of corrupt officials stories which are often discussed at the forum of Senate Standing Committee and National Assembly Standing Committee. Some of the corrupt officials have properties worth billions of rupees. The names of couple of such officials were revealed by the former Chairman Senate Power Committee, Senator Saif Ullah Abro. Ends
