TIMERGARA: The power consumers in Lower Dir have threatened to take to streets against Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) for what they call issuing inflated bills to them.

Talking to journalists here on Tuesday, scores of power consumers said that Pesco was sending bills to them without checking house meters regularly.They said that they were unable to pay the inflated bills and illegal fines imposed on them.

Sources in Pesco revenue section told this scribe that scores of consumers were visiting the office daily for correction of their bills.

The consumers said that their complaints were also not heard at the localofhce ofPesco.

They threatened to take to streets if the authorities concerned did not take notice of the matter.

They also demanded of Pesco authorities to send bills according to meter reading.

Meanwhile, ANP spokesman Zahid Khan also expressed his anger over issuance of inflated bills and imposition of illegal fines.He told journalists by telephone that Pesco high-ups had been contactedinthatregard.

He asked the consumers not to pay inflated bills as the Pesco authorities had promised him to correct the bills.

LEVIES: The senior officials of Dir Levies have complained that federal secretary of Safron was given financial powers of the force owing to which they were facing problems.

Talking to journalists, they said that earlier the deputy commissioner, also commandant of the force in the district, had been exercising financial powers but federal government transferred those powers to the secretary of Safron.

The officials said that transfer of financial powers to the secre-tary created hurdles to them. They said that they had to wait for months for petty issues like buying stationary, ink and other items.

They demanded of prime minister to restore financial powers of the deputy commissioners.

KILLED: A grade 10th student and a two-and-half-year-old girl lost their lives in two separate incidents in Kandaro village the other day.

The relatives of Aqsa, the child, said that she was killed when she fell into a manhole in front of her house.

In the second incident, Waqas Khan, the student, was electrocuted when someone of his family switched on the water pump he was holding in his hand to restore water supply.