Corruption and hubris are inherent qualities in Wapda because of its monopoly on electricity. Electricity today is a basic human need and the Wapda officials use its indispensability to extort bribes from the consumers in one way or another.
What is most disturbing is that whenever the Wapda authorities commit excesses against the people, they accept only their own one-sided interpretation of the situation as final and are too arrogant to listen to the aggrieved person’s point of view. They then attend only to him who can show them the money.
Muzaffargarh is by and large an impoverished city and has remained underdeveloped over the decades.
In 1968, when it was sparsely populated, instead of laying the 11KV feeder lines on the roadside which is the accepted standard, Wapda laid these cables haphazardly without the permission of any town planning authority in Chah Chashma Area on Alipur Road four and half kms from the District Courts, Muzaffargarh over a tract of land which was obviously meant for housing extensions with the increasing population.
Consequently, several houses have sprung up in the vicinity of this 11KV feeder line which is now in an advanced state of degeneration and likely to fall down on the population below at any time.
It is a well-known fact that the human who is touched by a 1000 volt wire dies instantly, which is the basic principle of electric chair execution. But the Wapda authorities are adamant and not willing to move these lines to their proper place along the nearby roadside. But privately they are ready for an under-the-table deal. All our requests in this regard to the Wapda higher authorities and the ministry have failed to elicit any response. Human life is indeed cheap in our country.
We request the Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan to take a suo moto notice of our dangerous situation as the unstable poles are likely to fall on us during a dust storm causing a loss of precious human lives. We shall be highly grateful to your honour.
RESIDENTS OF CHAH CHASHMA
Muzaffargarh