Sustainable “Sahulat” Centers

In Pakistan, electricity shortages, bad for years, have reached crisis proportions. The crisis is the product of multiple factors, from worn out power plants to crumbling transmission lines and from decades-old policy mistakes to circular debt in billions. One reason, however, stands above the others: lack of effective electricity governance. Sustainable power management, where electricity theft is minimized, where supply meets the demand and where consumers are facilitated in their billing process, is need of the hour today. The situation is grave in rural areas, where electricity theft is at its peak, resulting in long power breakdowns. With energy crisis mounting, community involvement is a must for designing short term and long term solutions.

Public Welfare Organization (PWO), working under USAID funded Citizens’ Voice Project at District Lodhran, Punjab engaged the local community to contribute towards effective electricity governance. For this purpose, PWO established Electricity Governance Forum by engaging citizens from 24 union councils. The objectives of the forum were to build capacity of electricity consumers regarding their rights and duties. The forum also took on board Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), the largest power distribution company in Pakistan, operating in 13 districts of South Punjab.

A memorandum of understating was signed between PWO and MEPCO on January 14, 2013 as per which MEPCO conducted electricity governance workshops for the local community. PWO undertook a mammoth task of convincing local citizens to revise their electricity load. It was not easy, as consumers were already dissatisfied with deteriorating electricity situation in the locality.

With capacity building sessions attended by the local community, MEPCO and PWO addressed concerns such as electricity demand notice, over billing, load management, technical break downs, and electricity theft. Subsequently, PWO presented a well-drafted Meter Reading Card to MEPCO officials, which has improved the meter reading process. The card not only records units consumed along with date and time but also records the number of electrical appliances being run on each meter. With these efforts in place, PWO established 7 Citizens’ Electricity Compliance Centers (CECC), later named Sahulat Centers, for electricity consumers at District Lodhran for registering consumer’s complaints. These centers are equipped with computers, IEC material, instructions for registering complaints under different categories, and internet facility. Hundreds of complaints have been addressed since August 2013 to date.

“PWO’s Electricity Compliance Centers are designed by the community for the community. That’s what makes them effective. We are willing to bear the running cost for these centers as they have certainly added to MEPCO’s customer services deliverables”, said Mr.Rana Ayub Khan X-EN MEPCO, Lodhran. Consequently, on February 3, 2014, MEPCO officially owned one of CECC and has merged it with its own customer service center at District Lodhran. Significantly, MEPCO has signed an agreement with PWO to establish 6 more Sahulat Centers at Sub Division Jallah, Sub Division I and II Dunya Pur, Sub Division Basti Malook, and Sub Division I and II Kahror Pacca.

Ownership of PWO’s efforts by MEPCO guarantees a sustainable impact. These Sahulat Centers and Electricity Governance Forum has not only helped MEPCO’s operations but has also sensitized locals about their contribution towards improved electricity governance.