PESHAWAR: The Federally Administered Tribal Areas has been subjected to unprecedented prolonged power outages despite the Rs122.1 billion across-the-board deduction at source during the last five years in addition to indirect taxes collected from the Fata residents to recover electricity bills.

The official documents show the Tribal Electric Supply Company’s outstanding dues against domestic consumers in Fata totaled Rs85 billion in 2009.

The federal government paid Rs94.10 billion to Wapda through ‘at source deduction’ in the financial year 2009-10.

Documents available with Dawn reveal details of releases made by the finance division to Power Purchase Agency/Tesco through at source deduction.

The documents show a release of Rs5 billion in 2008-09, Rs94.10 billion in 2009-10, Rs6 billion in 2010-11, Rs7 billion in 2011-12 and Rs10 billion in 2012-13.

They also indicate the finance division had allocated Rs12 billion for the current financial year to support electricity receivables in tribal areas.

Despite bulk payments through at source deduction, Fata people have been facing hours long loadshedding daily.

The people get electricity for two to three hours a day.

Another document shows Tesco supplies 175 megawatts electricity against the average demand of 545 megawatts for both domestic and industrial sectors in Fata and therefore, there is a daily shortfall of 370 megawatts in the region.

It reveals that currently, the average loadshedding duration on 11KV feeders is 16 hours.

When contacted, Tesco chief executive Zakaullah Khan acknowledged that Fata people got electricity for two to three hours daily.

“On average, electricity is provided for two to three hours a day to facilitate people to get drinking water and run other machines,” he said.

He said the existing power transmission lines and feeders in Fata could not bear load of the full voltage therefore Tesco had to keep voltage low.

According to Mr Khan, the federal government has been paying power bills to Wapda through at source deduction for few years.

He said currently, the total size of the outstanding dues against domestic consumers in Fata was Rs20 billion.

Interestingly, senior officials at the Civil Secretariat of Fata and Tesco are unaware of the account or source from which the federal government paid billions of rupees to Wapda on behalf of 440981 domestic consumers across the tribal areas.

A source said probably, the government made this huge payment from Fata share under the Kerry-Lugar Berman bill, which was titled ‘Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009.’

Under the act, the US government had committed to providing $7.5 billion non-military aid to Pakistan for five years.

“We have our sanctioned amount stipulated in our annual budget. Nowhere any amount is reflected to pay off outstanding bills. We have no idea about where are the billions of rupees coming to pay the bills,” an official said.

Apart from deduction at source, the political administration of the respective tribal agencies charge electricity dues from tribal people through indirect taxation. Local authorities have imposed taxes on transportation of different edible commodities like flour, sugar and rice to Fata on account of power dues.

Specific percentage of amount is charged on per bag of wheat, rice, sugar and other items before its entry to the tribal agency. In addition local people are also charged for making documents including passport, domicile and national identity card in the same head.

An official confirmed that political administration in South Waziristan Agency initially charged Rs150 from every person for making domicile on account of electricity bills. The amount has now been increased to Rs500, he added.

This formula was introduced few years ago in the absence of electricity meters to ensure recovery of electricity dues from consumers. Funds collected through transportation of edible items and documents are deposited in the official account of the concerned political agent. This account is not auditable and is accessible only to the political agent.

“An impression has been created that consumers in Fata are provided electricity free of cost and they don’t pay dues to Wapda. Tribal people are taunted for consuming free electricity.

“This is not true,” an official said.

Recently, Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan while responding to the demand of the elders about up-gradation of grid stations at joint tribal jirgas in Peshawar and Parachinar said demands could be met only if people started paying power bills.

“There is no concept of free provision of utility services to the people across the world,” he said, adding that smooth supply of electricity would be ensured when people start paying bills.

However, the factual position is that despite clearance of outstanding dues through at source deduction and imposition of indirect taxes on local people, consumers in Fata have been experiencing massive loadshedding.

The officials said Tesco or Wapda didn’t install transmission lines and upgrade electricity system from its own resources in Fata.

They said the Civil Secretariat provided financial resources to Tesco for new schemes and had allocated Rs316 million in the Fata ADP for provision of electricity.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2014