PESHAWAR, June 5: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the Peshawar Electric Supply Company to suspend electric supply for not more than 10 hours a day and warned the relevant officials of strict action in case of non-compliance.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Roohul Ameen took exception to the excessive loadshedding by National Transmission and Dispatch Company and National Power Control Centre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and warned that it would consider power cuts directly from Islamabad over and above the schedule a crime and gross negligence and take it a very seriously.

It observed that if loadshedding was carried out from Islamabad, proper reason and justification should be given otherwise the court would take strict action against the relevant officials.

The chief justice had recently taken suo moto notice of the excessive loadshedding in the province, especially rural areas, and directed the Pesco, NPCC and NTDC officials to appear before it.

The bench expressed displeasure over long delay in establishment of hydropower generation units by the provincial government, observing that according to a 2003 report of Small Hydel Development Organisation now called Pakhtunkhwa Hydel Development Organisation, several projects were scheduled to be completed in 10 years but ironically, even work on them had yet to begin.

It directed the provincial energy and power secretary to appear on June 26, the next date of hearing, and produce a detailed report about hydel power projects in Swat, Dir, Malakand and Chitral and long delay in their completion.

The bench directed Pesco chief executive Tariq Sadozai to sit with his legal team and prepare a draft bill for the provincial assembly so that electric appliances like air conditioners, heaters and refrigerators could not be sold without proper intimation of the particulars of buyers to the company.

It issued notices to the office-bearers of the Pesco employees union and executive officers for opinion on why provision of free electricity to employees should not be abolished and instead their salary should be enhanced.

The bench observed why all electric metres of Pesco employees should not be thoroughly checked so that stealing of electricity by them should be completely plugged.

It ordered the provincial chief secretary and IGP/ provincial police officer to issue strict directives to all police stations to remove all nameplates and signboards fixed on outer doors of current or retired employees of Wapda/Pesco and Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco).

The bench observed that the exercise should be carried out within 20 days to be followed by another survey by anti-corruption establishment.

It added that if any nameplate was found outside any house, the SHO of the relevant police station should be booked for abetment of crime of electricity theft.

Pesco chief executive Tariq Sadozai said the overall requirement of the province was 2,700MW, while his company had been provided with 1,200MW electricity during the last many months and that the electric supply was increased to 1,600MW last month.

He said Pesco had 90 grid stations in the province having 192 power transformers out of which 125 transformers were overloaded due electricity theft.

The Pesco chief executive said his company had been following the loadshedding schedule, but sometimes, NPCC suspended electric supply directly from Islamabad without letting his company know.

He said in Peshawar, loadshedding had been carried out due to repairs at Sheikh Mohammadi Grid Station attacked by militants a few weeks ago.

He also said other grid stations in the provinces were vulnerable to attacks by militants.

Mr Sadozai said he had requested security forces, police and Frontier Constabulary for proper security for stations but positive response had been awaited.