Daily Times

DADU: The consumers of Sukkur Electric Power Supply Company (SEPCO) on Saturday held demonstrations against the alleged atrocities of SEPCO that issued electricity deduction bills to them.

The angry consumers chanted full throat slogans against SEPCO and burnt tires while protesting in Dadu, Johi, Mehar, KN Shah, Radhan, Thrari Mohabbat, Phulji station, Piarogoth, Khudabad and Wahi Pandhi areas of the district.

“SEPCO staff has been demanding bribe for the electricity supply, and if refused they intentionally create faults at the main supply of power causing nearly 200 transformers to burn,” people claimed.

They demanded high authorities to immediate remove the current SEPCO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and appoint an honest and active CEO on priority basis.

“12-hour un-scheduled power outages has paralysed the lives of residents and crippled businesses in the region,” they further alleged.

Addressing the demonstrators at Dadu-Larkana bypass, a consumer namely Banho Khan said that they approached SEPCO CEO and other officials in Dadu, but they refused to meet them.

They appealed Supreme Court of Pakistan, Army Chief and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman to take a stern action against SEPCO CEO and staff.

A demonstrator at Dadu press club, Mohammad Khan said that they had collected Rs 50,000 from the residents of girls’ college area and paid the amount to the concerned line superintendent to replace burnt transformers with new transformers.

“However, the SEPCO officials have been demanding Rs 100,000 more to install new transformers. Since then, citizens have been living without electricity,” he alleged.

Another protester, Ali Khan said that as Eid-ul-Fitr has approached, the SEPCO staff has been pressurising the consumers to pay Rs 1000 each; otherwise, they threatened to issue 100,000 extra units of electricity.

PTI Sardar Ashiq Ali Zour submits nomination forms for PS-85

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Dadu President Sardar Ashiq Ali on Saturday filed his nomination forms to contest election from provincial seat PS-85 in the upcoming general election 2018.

Reportedly, he arrived at returning officers’ office with a big rally of PTI activists and supporters.

In his talk to the media, he claimed that during general election in 2013, PTI leader and a veteran politician Liaquat Ali Jatoi and his son Karim Ali Jatoi had won the election of Dadu district. However, the results were altered in support of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) by rigging.

Furthermore, he said that the upcoming general election 2018 would be held under the supervision of army and judiciary.

He expressed hope that the elections would be free, fair and transparent.

“Led by Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Dadu is the fort of PTI, and PTI would secure all provincial and national assembly seats successfully,” he asserted.

Published in Daily Times, June 10^th 2018.