The country''s power sector receivables crossed Rs805 billion as of January 31, 2018 compared to Rs730 billion on June 30, 2017, showing an increase of over 10 per cent in seven months of the current fiscal year. According to official documents, Discos'' collection has registered a 10.3 percent decline to Rs 655.94 billion as of January 31, 2018 against billing of Rs 731.71 billion during seven months of 2017-18.
The volume of receivables against provinces has increased to Rs139.38 billion as of January 30, 2018 as compared to Rs115 billion on June 30, 2017. The total collection during this period stood at Rs 53.50 billion against billing of Rs 77.76 billion. The amount of receivables against Punjab increased from Rs1.63 billion to Rs3.92 billion. Collection from Punjab stood at Rs12.74 billion against billing of Rs 14.99 billion. Outstanding receivables against KPK government were Rs20.22 billion by end-January 2018 as compared to Rs19.65 billion on June 30, 2017. The collection was Rs 3.16 billion in KPK against billing of Rs 3.88 billion.
This includes Rs18.6 billion assessed for KPK consumers for the period September 5, 2008 to September 15, 2010 on account of tariff differential after the withdrawal of KPK petition from the PHC. The assessed amount has not been passed on to consumers. The payment of these receivables has been linked with the mark-up on NHP arrears payable to KPK government as proposed by the province. The volume of receivables against Sindh was Rs4.72 billion as of January 30, 2017 compared to Rs1.35 billion on June 30, 2017. Collection in Sindh was Rs 9.59 billion against billing of Rs 12.95 billion.
The key reason for low receivables against Sindh was that Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet had approved a write-off of Rs50 billion to Sindh government. The amount of receivables against Balochistan increased to Rs 9.94 billion as of January 31, 2018 against Rs6.75 billion on June 30, 2017. The provincial government paid only Rs 0.69 billion against billing of Rs 3.87 billion.
Documents reveal an increase in AJ&K receivables to Rs 91.88 billion as compared to Rs 80.75 billion of which the share of the federal government was Rs0.40 billion because of continuous non-payment by the Azad Kashmir government. The billing during first seven months of the current fiscal year reached Rs 14.09 billion of which collection stood at Rs 2.95 billion.
The amount of receivables against the private sector increased to Rs600 billion from Rs554.8 billion as Discos failed to expedite recovery from the private sector. The volume of billing against the private sector was Rs624.87 billion from July 1, 2017 till end-January 2018 whereas collection stood at Rs 580 billion.
Karachi Electric (KE) which is about to be handed over to M/s Shanghai Electric, a Chinese company, from Abraaj Group of the UAE, has dues amounting to Rs66.79 billion against 650MW electricity supplied from the national grid as of January 31, 2018 against Rs60.07 billion on June 30, 2017. Receivables against the federal government increased to Rs8.69 billion till January 31, 2018 against receivables of Rs4.88 billion ending June 2017.
The federal government comprises federal government departments, local bodies under federal government, autonomous bodies under the federal government and water and power sector. The billing against federal government stood at Rs127.98 billion whereas collection was Rs 24.37 billion as on January 31, 2018. Prominently, collection from defence was Rs9.14 billion against billing of Rs11.06 billion.
The volume of due amount from Balochistan on account of agri-tubewells reached Rs 214.25 billion till January 31, 2018 against Rs 185.30 billion as on June 30, 2017, posting an increase of Rs 15.6 per cent. Of this, the share of the federal government was Rs 20.69 billion, the Government of Balochistan''s share was Rs 18.72 billion and consumers share @ Rs 4000 per tubewells, was Rs 174.25 billion. The billing during the first seven months of the current fiscal year stood at Rs 19.64 billion whereas collections were only Rs 0.70 billion.