Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has launched a campaign titled “Know Your Consumer” (KYC) to update and verify information about electricity users across its network.
Field staff, including SDOs, meter reading supervisors, and meter readers, have been instructed to verify and collect information such as:
Chief Engineer (Commercial) Ghulam Sarwar appealed to customers to cooperate with staff, saying the data will help improve service delivery and strengthen connections with consumers.
However, the campaign has raised concerns among traders. Many believe the data could be shared with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). Trader representative Sarfraz Mughal told media that IESCO already possesses much of the required information since CNICs, property documents, and phone numbers are mandatory for installing meters. He argued the exercise appears unnecessary unless the goal is to address outdated records where owners may have passed away or tenants moved out.
“Despite our reservations, we will cooperate with Iesco,” Mughal said. “But the company should focus on consumer-friendly measures like curbing electricity theft and lowering power tariffs.”
An IESCO official clarified that the campaign is not intended for FBR use, but rather to improve customer service. He said the data will allow timely registration of complaints and better communication regarding outages. He also revealed that a similar attempt was made in the past but failed due to a lack of cooperation, particularly from traders.