The Sindh government has released Rs 4.5 billion arrears of electricity bills to HESCO and SEPCO as first installment of their total bills of Rs 27 billion. This was disclosed by Secretary Energy Agha Wasif and Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi during a meeting with chief minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah here at the CM House on Friday.
Secretary Energy Agha Wasif briefing the chief minister said that the HESCO and SEPCO were claiming inflated power bills. "After your (Chief Minister) meeting with federal minister for water & Power Khwaja Asif a reconciliation process of the bills was started," he said and added that after some regular and extensive meetings an amount of Rs 27 billion power bill w.e.f 2010 to July 2016 was agreed.
He said that there were 295 power connections of both the power companies in Sindh. Their current bill has been agreed at Rs 837 million. The ministry of Water & Power has agreed to receive the payment of Rs 27 billion power bill in six installments. Secretary finance Hassan Naqvi said that with the approval of the chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah he has released Rs 4.5 billion as first installment to the HESCO and SEPCO. "I have also released Rs 837 million current bills," he said.
The chief minister directed his team that it must be maintained that the bill right from 2010-2016 has been agreed at Rs 27 billion. "It means after the payment of all six installments it would be zero," he said and directed the chief secretary to issue necessary instructions to all the departments, including local government to pay their electricity bills in time.