LARKANA: Mobile Market shopkeepers joined by the citizens burned tyres and held a protest demonstration at Allahwala Chowk here on Monday against high-handedness and corruption of local SEPCO officials.
Arshad Mangi, Ihsan Dayo, Suhail Soomro, Ayaz Mithani, Raheel Soomro, Aamir Buriro, Irfan Shaikh and others alleged that their 15 shop’s electricity has been disconnected for the past one month despite the fact that all bills are cleared but kunda connection electricity of those shops is running who paid corruption amount to the local SEPCO officials.
They said they made several complaints to SEPCO SDO Naundero Sajjad Memon but he always replies that he has no time to listen to our grievances or to resolve them. They alleged that private contractors of SEPCO officials on pole mounted transformers are demanding illegal gratification but we have refused to pay them because of having proper meters at their shops which is why their connections have been disconnected which is high-handedness and extortion.
They said since the past one month their business is almost zero due to unavailability of electricity which should be taken notice of immediately. They said SEPCO officials are involved in electricity theft against which they get money. They said after getting money monthly from the consumers they are sent illegal extra high detection bills monthly to cover their misdeeds and corruption. They said meter-holding residents are the worst affected for which SEPCO officials should be taken to task for their massive corruption.
The protesters said a meter reader has been posted as a meter inspector here who has harassed so many citizens by sending inflated and detection bills which should be removed and a thorough inquiry be ordered against his assets and home connections. The protesters demanded restoration of their connection or else, they warned, that they will again come out on roads if their just demands are not accepted by the SEPCO CEO Sukkur.