KABUL (Pajhwok): The power utility chief on Wednesday said a list of electricity bill defaulters has been sent to the government and attorney offices for action against them.
Da Afghanistan Bareshna Shirkat head Abdul Razaq Samadi told the upper house of parliament or Meshrano Jirga that currently there was 40 percent load-shedding in Kabul and 22 percent in provinces.
“The load shedding is only for three months a year and the power is provided for 24 hours during the remaining nine months.”
He said load shedding could be reduced if consumers stopped using heaters, adding that power consumption doubled in winters, prompting DABS to suspend power to some areas in Kabul to do justice with all parts of the city.
“In addition to the use of heating systems, some people use unauthorised electricity and faulty power metres could be another reason for load shedding,” he said.
Samadi said his department had sent the list defaulters to the Cabinet and prosecutor’s offices and another list of individuals stealing power was being prepared.
He asked consumers not to use heaters which led to power cuts, saying without their cooperation, the issue could not be addressed.
“We maintain a low level of load shedding for security organs, heath centres and industrial parks and no government official is provided 24 hours electricity,” he said of his department policy on power distribution.
Meshrano Jirga’s first deputy chairman Mohammad Alam Ezedyar, who presided over today’s session, said the DABS chief’s remarks could not convince lawmakers. He tasked the house complaints commission with assessing the issue of equal distribution of power and load shedding.
myn/ma
