LAHORE: The divisional administration has decided to take action against those involved in providing electricity unlawfully to unapproved housing schemes in Lahore subdivisions.

The administration has asked the Lahore Development Authority and others concerned (defunct town municipal administrations, etc) to provide a list of illegal housing schemes to the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco).

In a meeting between the Lahore commissioner and senior Lesco officials here on Monday, the Lesco team, led by the chief engineer, informed the commissioners that such illegal schemes managed to obtain power connections under the pretext of tubewell operation and for purposes other than supplying power to consumers.

“We will soon provide you with a list of illegal housing schemes. You, after finding the list, are required to check which schemes were given power connections and on which pretext the power connections were provided by the officers concerned,” the official quoted Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa as having said during the meeting.

Lesco officers were entrusted with the task of identifying such connections and submitting a report to the divisional administration within two weeks so that operations to cut power supply to these illegal housing schemes can proceed.

Meanwhile, according to a press release issued by a spokesman for the divisional administration, during the meeting, it was decided to audit the provision of electricity connections to illegal housing societies in the controlled areas of the District Administration and LDA.

During the meeting, Mr Randhawa appreciated Lesco for improving complaint redressal SOPs for general consumers and citizens.

He also requested a report related to no-objection certificates issued by the departments to illegal societies. The commissioner stated that the operation against electricity theft would continue throughout the entire division.

Meanwhile, the Lesco management on Monday detected 11,578 connections from where customers were pilfering electricity in five districts - Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur, and Okara.

The Lesco spokesman said the company has so far submitted FIR applications against 11,478 electricity thieves, out of which 10,505 have been registered in respective police stations, while 3,484 accused have been arrested.

The spokesman said all the electricity thieves have been charged with a total of 24.250 million detection units, amounting to over Rs1.096 billion.

He said that on the 25th consecutive day of the anti-power theft campaign, Lesco found 588 connections involved in electricity theft in all its circles and also submitted FIR applications against 585 electricity thieves in the respective police stations, out of which 258 FIRs have been registered while 122 accused have been arrested.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023