LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has dismissed one sub division officer (SDO) from service for charging over 600,000 units from a consumer.
SDO Kahna Amir Aziz has been dismissed from service on the direction of Chief Executive Lesco Shahid Haider, said a circular issued on Tuesday. He was held responsible by the inquiry committee.
According to the office order, a letter of explanation was issued to him back in May 2021. But he preferred to remain absent from duty instead of submitting a defence reply against the letter of explanation. Similarly, he did not attend the opportunity of personal hearing held in August 2023, followed by a final show-cause notice in July 2023.
He also abstained from submitting reply against the show-cause notice and final opportunity of personal hearing on 1st of September 2023. Consequently, Aziz was found guilty of charges and removed from service with immediate effect.
It may be noted that the CEO Lesco had also attended an online meeting called by the federal secretary power division on Tuesday.
The meeting focused on a single point agenda of how to control power theft in the distribution system of the company. The meeting decided to finalize the lists of areas with rampant electricity theft besides a list of those resisting the actions taken by the field staff of Lesco against power theft.
It is worth noting that the incidents of attacking the field staff of Lesco are on the rise. In a recent incident, both the executive engineer and SDO Shalimar sub division were severely beaten up by the lawyers of civil court when they appeared in a consumer court.
Consumer Haris Humayun informed the SDO that his meter has been stolen after removing it himself from his house wall. The sub-division staff took action and issued a detection bill of over Rs10 million which was challenged in the consumer court. A group of lawyers injured the sub-division officers severely when they appeared in the court.
It may be noted that the CEO Lesco has initiated a drive against the power theft after successive events of meter tampering. He has also suspended a number of field staff personnel after finding their connivance with consumers in power theft.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.