LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) will launch major operations in a couple of days against power theft and chronic defaulters in troubled areas in collaboration with the Pakistan Rangers, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and intelligence agencies.

The decision was taken after the Ministry of Energy (power division) accepted a proposal from the Lesco management seeking major and result-oriented operations and, finally, the authorities concerned contacted the top Lesco authorities on Tuesday in a bid to finalise the action plan in this regard.

`In fact we, sometimes ago, had requested the ministry (power division) to provide usthe Rangers, FIA and other organizations to help us stopping the continuous power theft troubled areas along with recovery from the chronic defaulters.

So, our request was entertained and finally, we had a meeting with the aforementioned authorities on Tuesday,` Lesco Chief Executive Officer Engineer Shahid Haidar told Dawn.

`Before us, the ministry also provided Rangers support to Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco),` Mr Haidar added.

According to him, the major operations would be launched in various parts of Kasur district, the areas falling in Lesco`s Baghbanpura and Shalamar divisions in Lahore city, Kot Abdul Malik, Ferozewala and Muridkay divisions in Sheikhupura district and some other areas.

Kasur district reportedly stood first among all districts of Punjab in terms of power theft in2023,having10 ofthe total26 highest loss making Lesco gridstations, causing losses worth nearly Rs17 billion annually to the exchequer.

The worst loss-making grid stations include Khudian, Kasur, Pattoki, Bhai Pheru, New Kasur, Kanganpur, Ellahbad, Chunian and Laliani. The other 18 high-loss grids stations of Lesco include Shahdra (new), Shamke, Rustam, Havaili, Batapur, New Ghazi, Chhung, Momin Pura, Raiwind, Sharagpur, Dipalpur, Kahna, Dinwali, Sabzazar, Johar Town, Bund Road, Shahdra Scarp and Kot Radha Kishan.

There are total 103 high-loss feeders in all service areas of Lesco falling in Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib. Of these, 77 feeders are in Kasur alone, placing the district on top of the 2023-list in power theft.

The meeting decided not to spare anyone involved in the power theft. Moreover, the chronic defaulters, who have to pay over Rs23 billion, would alsobe takentotask.

`Our line losses, especiallythe commercial ones, were brought down to 13.1pc from 15.4pc.

`But it is still 3.1pc higher than the benchmark fixed by by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).

We hope that, we, with the help of Rangers, FIA etc would be able to reduce our losses to a minimum level,` Mr Haidar maintained. The Lesco had on Dec 14 also issued a list of defaultersin public sector that included town/tehsil municipal administrations (TMAs), Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and the Irrigation Department.

The TMAs of Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura collectively owed Rs7.192 billion, followed by Wasa Lahore owes Rs2.297 billion and the Punjab Irrigation Department with Rs713 million.

Other defaulters included the Punjab Police Department (Rs496 million), District Government of Lahore (Rs495 million), Pakistan Railways (Rs409 million), Kasur districtgovernment (Rs381 million), Parks and Horticulture Authority (Rs253 million), Punjab Prisons Department (Rs243 million), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (Rs238 million), Lahore Ring Road Authority (Rs231 million), Lahore Development Authority (LDA) (Rs205 million), PWD (Rs103 million), Geological Survey of Pakistan (Rs71 million) and Cabinet Secretariat (Rs41 million).

The power division had also written to all four provincial governments, urging them to pay electricity bills amounting to Rs150 billion to avoid power cuts and financial losses to the national economy. It also warned that limited resources with distribution companies (Discos) make uninterrupted supply difficult, exacerbating circular debt.

`The meetings with the top officials of government departments are also underway these days to recover outstanding dues from them,` the Lesco chief maintained.