KARACHI: With an alarming 147 fatalities during 2016-17, the government has clearly failed to curb the electrocution incidents in the jurisdiction of state-owned power Distribution Companies (DISCOs). According to the latest Performance Evaluation Report by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), the number of fatalities due to electrocution has increased in the four state-owned DISCOs in comparison to the preceding year. As per the details, the fatalities in Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) have been increased from 24 in 2015-16 to 29 in 2016-17. Likewise, the Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) reported 11 fatalities in 2016/17 as compared to 5 reported in 2015-16. Fatalities in the jurisdiction of Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) and Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) rose to 16 and 20 in 2016-17 against 12 and 17 reported in 2015-16 respectively. The lowest number of fatalities in 2016-17 was reported in the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) with three deaths while eight fatalities were reported in the Karachi-Electric during the same period. It is pertinent to note that recently, a number of electrocution cases have emerged causing fatalities and severe injuries due to the negligence of government-owned distribution companies. Earlier this month, high-tension cables fell on a house in Sargodha resulting in a 12-year-old boy receiving severe burns. According to the family, they had lodged numerous complaints to fix the wires but the employees of Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) demanded Rs 50,000 from them. Similarly, an eight-year-old boy, Faiz Muhammad from District Jafarabad Balochistan, lost his left arm due to the alleged negligence of QESCO employees. The family of affected child informed that no one from the federal or provincial government has visited them yet. The family has appealed to the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights to urgently take up the case and help bear the medical expenditure of Faiz. In another incident, the 12-year-old Dharam Das recently staged protest to seek rehabilitation and compensation from the HESCO as an 11kV cable fell on him five years back. Another case was reported in the same district this year, where a 10-year-old Zeeshan Rajput passed away when an 11 kV wire broke and fell on him. These figures of fatal incidents indicate an alarming situation and prove the dismal performance of state-owned DISCOs. Further, the number of accidents illustrates that the state-owned DISCOs have miserably failed to implement respective safety protocols and procedures. “The power regulator (NEPRA), on several occasions, has taken serious notice and initiated legal proceedings and issued Show-Cause Notices to non-compliant power distribution companies but a more robust action plan needs to be formulated at the highest level to combat this challenge,” said an industry expert while commenting on the recent electrocution incidents in the jurisdictions of different DISCOs. Published in Daily Times, September 16th 2018.