Hyderabad: Attacks on electricity staff in the Old City have again increased in the last six months. Nearly 30 staff members have been injured in attacks while they were on duty collecting bills.
A decade ago it was very difficult for electricity staff to work in the area but things became easier due to the initiatives taken by the previous government and senior electricity department officials.
On Saturday, lineman Akbar Ali Khan, working under the southern discom’s Falaknuma sub-division, was attacked by local residents Mohammad Ali Naveed, 40, Mohammad Majid Ali and Mohammad Mateen Maqbool. Mr Khan was severely injured and had to be hospitalised. He was deputed to collect arrears at Gulshan-e-Iqbal Colony. He was attacked when he asked Naveed to pay dues of Rs 35,863.
A criminal case has been registered against Naveed and the two others. The discom’s Charminar division has more than Rs 1 crore arrears, and officials have launched a special drive to collect pending bills that are higher than Rs 30,000.
As officials have set targets, the field staff — including linemen, line inspectors, outsourced and temporary bill collectors — are insisting that customers pay the bills in order to avoid disconnections, and are being attacked.
Charminar divisional engineer P. Suresh said that the department would take the assistance of the electricity vigilance wing while holding special drives. “We are responding to attacks immediately and lodging complaints with the local police,” he said.
