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CHARIKAR (SW) – Access to electricity is one of the basic needs and rights of citizens, but findings by Salam Watandar indicate influential figures have exploited residents of Parwan on this pretext.
Officials at the De Afghanistan Bresha Shirkat told a presser in Parwan two days ago that the cost of power meters, which have recently been set-up here, would be around AFN 6000, but citizens in Parwan province say they have been forced to pay up to AFN 10,000 for the connection.
According to Naser Ahmadi, the head of DABS in Parwan, the distribution of electricity and the provision of technical services relates to the power utility, and all costs are clearly mentioned for that. He mentioned the cost of installing power transmission towers is between AFN 5000 to 15,000.
Meanwhile, residents of the Parwan claim they have received no services, and instead dug the ground for many meters on their own on the directives of the local elders for the supply lines.
For instance, in Charika city’s Dasht-e-Hofyan area, the residents said a local warlord, Ahmad Shah, compelled them to dig the ground for the transmission of power. They added it was Ahmad Shah who appeared in the village mosque every day to distribute electricity meters to 50 customers per day against the payment of AFN 9000.
The documents obtained by SW indicate the locals did all the hard without any compensation or payment from anyone. The DABS officials also acknowledge the local powerful figures have taken money from the locals on the pretext of supplying electricity to them.
The question now arises how has the powerful man managed to take out the electricity meters and corresponding forms from the DABS in Parwan? The DABS officials told SW they had given away some forms to the local elders to help distribute them among the masses, and they have no knowledge about money being taken from the locals.
DABS has now decided to distribute the corresponding forms and electricity meters directly among the relevant clients only.
Defending his stance, Ahmad Shah asserted that the money has only been taken from the clients who did not work for the supply of electricity while no penny has been taken from those who did the hard work.
The DABS claims to have connected 15 per cent previously deprived communities to the national electricity grid, and soon it would be surged to 40 per cent costing AFN 150 million.
The question remains if the DABS distributes such forms again among the local influential figures, how the corruption would be countered.
ENDS
