NEPRA gives River Garden 15 days to resolve residents’ power issues

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has given the management of River Garden Housing Society 15 days to address outstanding issues affecting the electricity supply to residents, while directing Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) to conduct a joint and open inspection of the distribution system.

The directions were issued during a hearing held on September 8, 2026, concerning a long-running dispute over the maintenance and operation of River Garden’s electricity distribution system.

The case was heard by Naveed Ilahi Sheikh, Chief Executive Officer of Consumer Affairs at NEPRA Islamabad, following a joint complaint filed under Section 39 of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997.

The complaint, registered as IESCO-NHQ-46910-11-24, involves River Garden resident Salman Khan, the housing society’s management and IESCO.

Dispute over NEPRA directives

The matter was first heard at NEPRA headquarters on August 6, 2026, with representatives of IESCO, River Garden management and complainant Salman Khan attending the proceedings.

The hearing examined implementation of a decision issued by NEPRA’s Complaints Resolution Committee (CRC) on November 13, 2025.

According to the complainant and River Garden management, IESCO had failed to implement the CRC decision despite the society claiming that deficiencies earlier identified by IESCO had been addressed.

They maintained that IESCO had not provided a positive response regarding implementation of the regulatory decision.

IESCO’s SE (Operation) representative, however, presented a different position, stating that River Garden management had made little progress in addressing the remaining deficiencies.

According to the IESCO representative, action had been taken on only two points, while several other issues remained unresolved.

The conflicting claims prompted NEPRA to seek a clearer assessment of the situation.

IESCO ordered to inspect system openly

Following the August hearing, IESCO was directed to conduct a joint and open inspection in consultation with River Garden management and complainant Salman Khan.

NEPRA also directed that a representative of IESCO’s Planning Department participate in the inspection and that a detailed report be submitted to the authority within 10 days.

The latest hearing on September 8 brought the issue back before the regulator.

This time, representatives of the River Garden residents’ Volunteers Welfare Team also attended the proceedings alongside Salman Khan and the society administration.

Residents raise concerns

Residents’ representatives told NEPRA that the River Garden management had still not fully complied with the authority’s directions regarding uninterrupted electricity supply.

They claimed that the continuing problems had made daily life extremely difficult for residents and called for effective implementation of the regulator’s instructions.

After hearing the positions of the parties, NEPRA issued fresh directions aimed at establishing the actual status of compliance.

IESCO has now been given 15 days to review the implementation of NEPRA’s directions through its Chief Engineer (Planning) and the relevant SE (Operation).

The company has also been directed to appear at the next hearing after the 15-day period with all relevant records and details of its assessment.

NEPRA has further made the participation of River Garden management, Salman Khan and representatives of the residents necessary at the next hearing.

Regulator seeks a clear resolution

The latest directions indicate that NEPRA wants the dispute resolved through a documented technical assessment rather than competing claims from the parties.

The involvement of IESCO’s Planning Department and Operations officials is expected to provide the regulator with a clearer picture of the distribution infrastructure, outstanding deficiencies and steps taken to comply with previous directions.

For River Garden residents, the central issue remains reliable electricity supply and the resolution of problems they say have persisted despite earlier regulatory intervention.

The next hearing, following the 15-day compliance period, could therefore prove crucial in determining whether the outstanding issues have finally been addressed — or whether further regulatory action will be required.