The power companies have a vacancy of 53,000 posts against a sanctioned strength of 171,300 owing to ban on fresh recruitments over the past few years, the power division on Tuesday reported to the Senate standing committee on power.
Secretary power Irfan Ali told the committee that a total of 96,790 regular employees were currently working in all the 10 distribution companies while another 8,375 were contract employees and 3,011 work charge staff.
He said these companies were put on the privatisation list in 2015 and their status still remained unchanged. Under the privatisation ordinance, the privatisation commission had stopped these companies from fresh hiring against vacant posts except critical staff on the technical side.
He said the government lifted ban on recruitment of employees in grade 1-16 in December 2017. Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) moved a consolidated case for recruitment of 28,000 critical staff out of 53,000 vacant seats to the establishment division for NOC. He said the establishment division issued the NOC and the privatisation commission directed that inductions should be limited to one year contract.
The distribution companies started the process under procurement rules which was stalled after the election commission of Pakistan imposed ban on recruitments because of elections. Mr Ali said the posts kept on falling vacant due to many reasons including retirement, death and resignations etc.
In response to a question, the committee was informed that no recruitments could be made against vacant posts during period when the ban on lifted except in the case of Islamabad Electric Supply Company which was able to hire 1217 employees in January 2018 because it had already completed the paper work and shortlisting through the national testing service (NTS).
The committee expressed its dissatisfaction when informed that recruitments under grade 16 were not made according to provincial quota system unlike for those above grade 17. The committee was told that quota system for technical posts below grade 16 was apparently unviable for candidates but the power division promised to look into the details and submit a report.
The committee was also given a brief by K-Electric chief executive officer (CEO) Moonis Alvi on proposed agreement for extension in 650mw power supply from national grid. He said the previous agreement expired in 2015 and his company wanted its extension despite reservations and desire for cut from the power division.
He said an association in Karachi went to the court which ordered the continuation of power supply in view of shortages in the port city despite capacity additions by the KE.
Alvi the KE was also getting invoices from the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) like any other distribution company and tariff differential subsidy was being paid by the government to maintain uniform rates for consumers. He said the negotiations with the power division were in progress for the extension.
Secretary power Irfan Ali told the committee that talks for extension in power supply to KE was almost complete but the real issue was the pending liabilities against the KE. He said the agreement could be finalized on settlement of liabilities.
Alvi conceded its consumers suffered due to trippings after rains but to address that the company had completed air-bundle cabling over 5,000 transformers in two years out of a total 25,000 transformers.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction over excessive utilization of private workshops for repair of transformers by the distribution companies of ex-Wapda but was told by the power division that the of workshops owned by Discos and Wapda Foundation were not enough to meet work load during summers.
The committee recommended enhancement of in-house capacity and ordered third party certification of repair works conducted by the private sector companies who should be pre-qualified and hired through transparent manner.