LAHORE: Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Saleem said on Tuesday that the Company charged a total of Rs. 910 million as detection bill from power pilferers in the recent campaign to control power theft.
Briefing media here at LESCO Headquarters, he said that strict action is being taken against the power thieves irrespective of their social status or political association, while, the LESCO was also taking to task the officers and other staffers involved in over-billing.
He said the LESCO has also initiated an effective check and balance system to control power theft, citing that in a mega campaign against power pilferage, the Company detected theft of electricity in various localities of the provincial metropolis and charged a total of Rs. 910 million as detection bill from the violators. While, strict departmental action has also been taken against 33 LESCO officials, who were found involved in the power theft, he added.
To a question, the CEO said that LESCO has constituted Special Squads consisting of officials from the Company's sections of Surveillance and Investigation, and Metering and Testing as well as its security personnel. An Assistant Director, he added, has also been tasked to join the Squad during raids against power thieves.
"Yes, the LESCO takes on spot departmental action against its erring official by issuing them a charge-sheet or a show cause notice as the case may be," he responded to a questioner.
Muhammad Saleem said that LESCO is the major distribution company having 21 percent quota from the national grid, claiming that its recovery rate is very high, while the line losses are very low when compared to other distribution companies of the country.
To another question, he said, the LESCO is observing three and six hours' load-shedding for domestic and industrial consumers respectively. "We have to suspend electricity supply for a few hours in surrounding areas of the under construction Metro Bas Service project and some other projects in the metropolitan city, however, such outages should not be assumed as load-shedding."
To a query, he said that Punjab government has yet to pay a total of Rs. 6.015 billion electricity bill, while the federal government has an outstanding power bill of Rs 530 million with its Pakistan Railways Department has to pay Rs 43 million electricity charges.
The LESCO Chief also urged the public to ensure minimal or necessary use of electricity and also help the Company in its efforts to control power theft to end the menace of load-shedding, which is hitting almost every sector of life.
He also urged the media to play its effective role in the LESCO's campaign to knockdown the electricity stealers.
Provision of all possible facilities to its consumers is the top priority of the LESCO, which is utilizing all its resource to fulfill this task, he maintained.
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