Nepra to take strict action against Fesco over electrocution incidents

ISLAMABAD: The Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco) is expected to face legal action by the National Electric Regulatory Authority (Nepra) over negligence in installing mandatory safety codes including the grounding of high tension (HT) and low tension (LT) poles. The power regulator issued an official statement regarding the initiation of legal proceedings against safety code violations committed by Faisalabad’s distribution company, which led to fatal accidents over three years.

The statement read that Nepra decided to issue a show cause notice to Fesco over failure to comply with standards to stop power leakage and adopt safety practices despite assurances. It observed that the distribution firm’s responses were “far away from ground realities”. The authority found contradictions in Fesco’s clarifications as the steel structures for grounding of electricity poles “has become ineffective due to deterioration and change of moisture contents at the sites over the passage of time”.

The lack of safety standards resulted in five electrocution incidents in 2020 21 six in 2021 22 and four in 2023. Last month, the country's top power regulatory authority decided to initiate legal action against K Electric (KE) and other power providing companies after it was found that they were charging millions of consumers excessively.

The authority had taken “very serious” notice of the complaints that were reported from all over Pakistan regarding excessive, inflated, and wrong bills charged by the distribution companies to the consumers during two months — July and August. It had constituted a committee to probe into the matter of excessive billing issues.

Nepra also directed Discos to initiate proceedings against officials concerned for violation of provisions of the Consumer Service Manual and other applicable documents as per their service rules on account of carrying out such illegal practices and submit a compliance report within 30 days..