MEPCO became Pakistan’s leading company that ensures transparency and services by safeguarding national interests
An Exclusive Interview of Chairman Board of Directors Multan Electric Power Supply Company Sardar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari
Interview By: Kiran Asim / Syed Nadeem Kazmi
—Chairman Board of Directors MEPCO (Multan Electric Power Supply Company) Mr. Sardar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari is one of the known personalities of Pakistan. He is the eldest son of former President of Pakistan, Mohammad Farooq Khan Leghari. He is a former Senator, MPA, and District Nazim of Dera Ghazi Khan as well as former District Chairman of the Social Action Board, Dera Ghazi Khan. He is a member of Pakistan’s first-class shooting team, chief of his tribe and possesses exceptional skills in wildlife photography.
In July 2022, Mr. Sardar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari assumed the post of Chairman Board of Directors, MEPCO. As soon as he took charge of the post, he held a high-level meeting with all the directors of the board and formulated a safety policy for MEPCO employees. Similarly, he formulated the best policy to eradicate poverty and provide maximum relief to the consumers. Ms. Kiran Asim and Mr. Syed Nadeem Kazmi conducted a panel interview of Sardar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari in his office.
Talking about his role as Chairman Board of Directors MEPCO, Sardar Mohammad Jamal Khan Leghari said when I took charge, there was room for improvement in MEPCO’s policies which were improved through mutual consultation and the efforts of engineers. He said special focus was given to customer care because the provision of good service, trust, and satisfaction to the public was his top priority
In response to a question, he said that MEPCO is the largest power supply distribution company in Pakistan. He thanked the US Government in general and particularly to the American Ambassador and Consul General and on behalf of the Board of Directors, CEOs, and engineers for visiting MEPCO and providing continuous support for infrastructure maintenance and development since 2013 under the USAID program. He added with the support of USAID, we are making MEPCO Musa Pak Division an urban division to be emulated by the whole of Pakistan within a record time. He said there is zero theft of power in MEPCO and advanced technologies including ABC cables, AMR meters, and modern capacitors are used in infrastructure. He informed that USAID has also set up a customer care center which is managed by female staff taking steps towards the mission of women’s empowerment in Pakistani society.
He further said that earlier the CEO was selected by the Ministry however, according to revised SEOs, we have approached the market and as per the rules and regulations the CEO who fulfills their terms and conditions was selected. Explaining further the CEO selection process he said formal presentations and interviews were conducted to shortlist the top 3 best candidates to forward their names to the ministry for selection. He said he did not use discretionary powers and kept him away from the process and entire board members gave their input in the screening to keep the induction process transparent and worthwhile. He said the CEO is a very important position therefore, they aimed to select the best person to deliver with his performance. He said MEPCO has now an efficient CEO Mr. Rana Ayub Khan. He commented that our job is not micro-financing but policy-making and implementation.
He said since he took charge, he introduced quality changes in MEPCO to run the company smoothly and efficiently. He said continuous improvement is his vision and the company’s main focus is consumer satisfaction. He said policies consistent and compatible with the board are their priorities. Explaining the management composition, he said the board has different committees. The board has not centralized everything. Rather matters that come up within the board are referred to the committees. There is a technical initiative and procurement committee, a strategic and marketing committee, an HR committee, and a finance and audit committee. He said the Chairman is not everything and cannot do everything but there are rules, regulations, and policies to manage the company amicably. He said Pakistan takes loans from international bodies and friend countries on very tough conditions and they demand guarantees for re-payments so such negotiations remain always hard for Pakistan therefore, they try hard not to compromise on the country’s interest in terms of money and resources. He said the other critical element is poverty in the country which is also a matter of prime concern.
In response to a question, Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari said that consumers under the MEPCO’s jurisdiction are very poor but regretfully the company is bound to implement the rates of NEPRA in all circumstances. He said it is very difficult for us to justify these high rates but as per the policy of NEPRA, we have to implement these rates in all cases. Since they are unable to give relaxation in terms of energy price, then they try to ensure at least the best customer service and to address all complaints professionally on priority.
He said MEPCO has reached 15 districts so we have had meetings with SEs of nine circles and have issued strict orders to SDO, LS, meter readers, etc. against corruption that if anyone is involved in corruption strict action will be taken against the culprits. He further said we need to ensure that the service we provide to our customers is satisfactorily within the tariff they are paying to the company. He added, “I have a political background, therefore, I have to consider that policies being formulated are not against the interest of MEPCO and poor consumers as well so that we can provide maximum service and satisfaction to our consumers”.
Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari further said that according to the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the officers and staff of MEPCO are working on a war footing to prevent electricity theft. He added we also have the support of the Police, FIA, and other security agencies. MEPCO is ending the facility of double source i.e. two meters on behalf of the people in their residential and commercial centers. He said If any MEPCO employee found involved in malpractice would be punished as per law.
He shared views that the Federal Minister for Power & Energy, Sardar Awais Khan Leghari has a zero-tolerance policy regarding corruption and took the charge of the ministry as a challenge. He said the top priority was the elimination of load shedding which we ended with day and night efforts during the last tenure of government in 2018. Also, he informed that a law was proposed in the parliament that whoever gives a wrong bill to a customer will be imprisoned for three years leading to dismissal from service. He said the implementation of the law is very significant to curb such issues. He admired the role and services of Awais Khan Leghari to expedite net metering cases where people can take full advantage of solar systems.
He said we have a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and safety. He added MEPCO employees and officers are strictly warned to follow SOPs to maintain the safety standards during their field duties to avoid any damage to public life, property, or the company’s assets and employees’ lives. He further informed that MEPCO follows a formal procurement plan as per government-prescribed rules and regulations. We have a total of nine circles covering Sahiwal to Sadiqabad, Bahawalnagar to the boundary area, and Multan to Bhakkar besides Rajhan. MEPCO is Pakistan’s largest power supply distribution company. Which ensures an uninterrupted supply of electricity to millions of consumers 24/7. He said for safety and maintenance, in every weather, be it extremely cold, hot, lightning, storm, earthquake, or flood, the engineers and employees of MEPCO remain busy in public service, and apart from this, during all festive occasions, MEPCO staff is just a call away.
Talking about flood-hit areas including Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, and Rajanpur in the region of MEPCO, he said through mutual consultation of the Chief Executive Officer, other Board Directors and engineers are trying to make arrangements before the flood. He informed that 500 KVA poles are the most damaged in floods due to which the flood victims in the flood-affected areas are at risk of electrocution. While the infrastructure of other departments is also destroyed due to floods including grid stations, and electricity poles. He said during such extreme emergencies MEPCO staff makes all out efforts to restore electricity in the flooded areas. He also appealed to the public to cooperate with the staff to ensure power supply during outages.
He further said that there are about 19 districts of MEPCO and during the maintenance workshop, we chalk out a complete plan to assess the required resources. He said that transformers that are damaged, burned, working on single phase, dim light, and overload transformers we see all this augmentation in the transformer repairing workshops of MEPCO. Accordingly, we have to carry out this whole process, with the board meetings. He said due to the limited power of the CEO and other management, board meetings are called to sort out the important matters and make policy and financial decisions. The board comprised of directors has the approving authority and the board has certain boundaries too to intact the transparency. He said Chief Minister Punjab, Mohtarma Maryam Nawaz also conducted a meeting and made positive decisions.
He said on the Ministry’s direction, they are working hard to make MEPCO the number one company by achieving the goals of providing better services to consumers in Southern Punjab including Multan. He said despite the lack of staff in the MEPCO region, the set targets are being achieved. Pending for new domestic and commercial connections has been waived and new connection applicants are getting meters installed in the shortest possible time.
It is pertinent to mention for readers that Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari is a world award-winning Pakistani for his photography. He has made Pakistan famous in the fields of wildlife, culture, and tourism through photography. He has also won an award from National Geographic and brought laurels to Pakistan.