ISLAMABAD – Circular debt magnitude has swelled to alarming mark of Rs 800 billion owing to failure of ministry of water and power in recovering outstanding electricity bills dues amounting to Rs 227 billion from consumers. The major defaulters are provincial governments of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and KP in addition to over a dozen federal institutions. Those who have gone default on payment of bills include PM house, CDA and some key ministries. According to documents a sum of Rs 96.89 billion are lying outstanding against PESCO consumers. The consumers of QESCO, come second in the line of defaulters as outstanding electricity bills dues against them have surpassed Rs 80 billion. Likewise the consumers of TESCO which supplies electricity to FATA have to pay Rs 32 billion on account of outstanding dues. A sum of Rs 6.61 billion have to be recovered from HESCO consumers. Only ray of hope has gleamed from LESCO which has made its recovery campaign a success story and only Rs 800 million are left outstanding against its consumers. The number of defaulters with MEPCO, Multan region has increased manifold and a whopping amount of Rs 8.50 billion stand stuck up with them. The SUKKAR Electric Power Company has improved its recovery campaign reducing the number of defaulters about next to nil. It has to recover outstanding dues of Rs 4.5 million presently. IESCO has also worked wonders in making recoveries of outstanding dues from its defaulters which stand curtailed to Rs 8.3 million now. NAB is also assisting government in effecting recovery from major defaulters.-Online
