Case filed against WAPDA irregularities
CHITRAL, 14 June 08: On behalf of the people of Chitral town,
Wg Cdr (r) Fardad Ali Shah, Patron of the All pensioners
Association District Chitral and a PPP leader, has
filed a judicial case against corruption,
irregularities and anti consumer policies of the WAPDA Chitral. The
petitioner has claimed that by virtue of being a social worker he has been
approached by numerous consumers complaining against the high handedness and
couldn't careless attitude of the WAPDA administration Chitral with regard
to fulfilling their duties.
The petitioner has claimed that due to lack of accountability
there is total absence of sense of responsibility in the department. Some of
the complaints which have been mentioned in the plea are:
1. Whenever some consumer applies for an electric
connection the default answer is that it cannot be done. However after
greasing of palms the customer is asked to buy for himself or pay extra for
the meter, the wire and in some cases the transformer. The petitioner has
pleaded that these high handed tactics amounting to outright corruption are
going unchecked for years, frustrating the people and diminishing their
faith in the state authority.
2. The WAPDA authorities/workers have entered into unholy
agreement with many customers tampering their meter readings and charging
them minimally at the cost of honest consumers who wish to pay their correct
bills instead of entering a 'deal' with the staff.
3. WAPDA employees are authorised free electricity which they
grossly misuse. It is commonly believed that employees waste
electricity ruthlessly and some not only cook their food and heat their
verandas but even provide electric heating to their animal sheds in winters
while genuine consumers are suffering from lack of even basic lighting
facility. Some unscrupulous employees singly consume upto half of a
village's total electricity consumption. The plea demanded immediate
withdrawal of free electricity facility to WAPDA employees and instead if
required, raise their salaries to compensate for the same.
4. WAPDA authorities should follow service structure/tenure
rules. The present line superintendent at Chitral is on the post for 26
years which is against the norms and ethics of service. The said
superintendent is notorious for creating problems for the consumers but no
one in the department seems to follow the rules and post him out.
5. The petitioner has requested that because most of the
consumers are illiterate or cannot afford to bear the expenses of a
litigation for every complaint, the court should create a complaint cell in
it's premises and upon receipt of a genuine complaint against the WAPDA,
proceed suo-moto to redress the grievance of the complainant. --(CN
report)