By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to minimise the ongoing loadshedding in different areas through better load management, considering public relief in sizzling weather.
The prime minister, chairing a meeting on load management and power theft, reiterated that the government would strictly deal with the power thieves and that the ongoing mission against them would be taken to the logical end.
Vowing to hold a monthly review of the power theft situation, he asked the provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, and other departments to extend their support in the anti-power theft drive in the national interest and for the country’s progress.
The prime minister told the participants of the meeting that the government in no way would tolerate the over-billing. He directed to accelerate the privatisation process of the power distribution companies by engaging the experts and formulating a strategy to solarise the tube wells in Balochistan.
During the briefing on load management and power theft issue, the participants were informed that under a joint strategy formulated following a conversation between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and federal minister for power, it had been agreed to reduce load shedding and line losses and ensure recovery of dues from defaulters in the province. It was told that areas with more power theft and line losses and low recovery ratio were being subjected to load shedding and that the upgradation of the south-north power transmission line would help improve the system.
The meeting’s participants were told that task forces were being formed at provincial and divisional levels to eliminate power theft, which would undergo a weekly performance review.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Dr Musaddik Malik and Awais Ahmed Leghari, Minister of State Ali Pervaiz Malik, Coordinator to PM Rana Ehsan Afzal, WAPDA chairman and relevant senior officers.
The provincial chief secretaries and inspector generals of police joined the meeting via video link.
On the other hand, The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) recovered more than Rs26.01 million from 108 chronic defaulters in all the five districts- Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara- on the 229th day of its recovery campaign.
A Lesco spokesman told the media on Sunday that on the 229th day, SE Nisar Sarwar has recovered outstanding dues of Rs0.97million from 12 defaulters in Northern Circle; SE Umar Bilal recovered Rs0.87million from 6 defaulters in Eastern Circle; SE (Central Circle) recovered Rs1.48 million from 16 defaulters; SE (South Circle) collected Rs0.28million from 11 defaulters; SE (Nankana Circle) recovered Rs0.37million from 10 defaulters; SE Najamul Hassan recovered Rs0.32million from 13 defaulters in Sheikhupura Circle; SE Jamshed Zaman collected Rs 0.25 million from 18 defaulters in Okara Circle and SE Ahmed Shahzad Chughtai recovered Rs 21.47 million from 22 defaulters in Kasur Circle. During the 229 days, a spokesman for Lesco said the company recovered a total of Rs4.37 billion outstanding dues from 103,975 dead defaulters. He elaborated that up till now the company has collected Rs 633.87 million from 15,093 defaulters in Northern Circle; Rs949.45million from 13,647 defaulters in Eastern Circle; Rs619.55million from 11,806 defaulters in Central Circle; Rs 245.73million from 6,185 defaulters in South Circle; Rs 408.63m from 9,031 defaulters in Nankana Circle; Rs 588.05m from 12,146 defaulters in Sheikhupura Circle; Rs 354.64m from 16,473 defaulters in Okara Circle and Rs595.96m from19,594 defaulters in Kasur Circle.
