LAHORE  -  Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) detected a total of 442 connections from where the customers were pilfering elec­tricity in all its circles of five districts (La­hore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) on the 21st day of the grand anti-power theft campaign. The LESCO spokesman told media here Wednesday that the company has also so far submit­ted FIR applications against 439 electric­ity thieves, out of which 269 FIRs have been registered in respective police sta­tions, while 57 accused have been ar­rested. Grand anti-power theft operations against electricity thieves are being con­ducted on the directives of the Federal Power Division and the LESCO Chief Exec­utive Officer (CEO) Engineer Shahid Haid­er is supervising these operations. The LESCO chief vowed that the operations would continue without discrimination until the complete end of electricity theft. The electricity pilferers as well as the LE­SCO officers and employees who facilitate them are also being brought to justice. On the 21st consecutive day (Sept. 27) of an­ti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, large agricultural and commercial consumers were also found involved in electricity theft and all of them were also disconnected and charged with detection units. Among the seized connections were 01 industrial, 12 commercial, and 429 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 727,091 units as detection bill amounting to Rs Rs 37.283 million. He explained that LESCO charged Rs 1.2 million as detection bill to an electricity pilferer in Ferozwala area; Rs 500,000 fine in the form of detec­tion bill to another customer stealing elec­tricity in Aziz Colony on Wandala Road; Rs 500,000 fine to Baba Bakery on Wan­dala Road; and Rs 480,298 as detection bill to an electricity thief at Jambar Mor Multan Road. During the 21 days of grand anti-theft campaign, the spokesman men­tioned, the LESCO detected pilferage on 8,832 power connections and submitted 8,727 FIR applications against electricity thieves in the relevant police stations out of which 7,417 FIRs have been registered, while 1,240 accused have so far been ar­rested by the police. The LESCO has so far charged a total of 19,351,136 detection units worth Rs 864,445 million to all the power pilferers.

CCPO FOR ADOPTING ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY AGAINST ELECTRICITY THEFT

Capital City Police Officer Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamyana has said that preven­tion regarding electricity theft is the first priority of the federal government while there are clear instructions of the IG Pun­jab that zero tolerance policy should be adopted to ensure prevention of electric­ity theft. He stated this while presiding over a meeting regarding the prevention of electricity theft in his office on Wednes­day. Lahore Police Chief ordered an in­tensification of the crackdown against electricity thieves and said that a coor­dinated strategy should be implemented with LESCO to prevent electricity theft. He further said that those who have damaged the country’s exchequer by stealing elec­tricity would be dealt with an iron hand. The CCPO Lahore said that the people in­volved in electricity theft do not deserve any sympathy. He directed that the elec­tricity thieves should be brought under the law. He also directed the city division to improve its performance. SSP (Opera­tions) Sohaib Ashraf, SSP (Investigation) Chaudhry Anush Masood and relevant Di­visional SPs attended the meeting.