LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) is set to send a proposal to the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) for bringing two police stations at its disposal to enable it to launch a grand operation against power thieves especially in high-loss areas.

The decision has been taken after the Lesco field staff claims to have faced resistance from those stealing electricity in recent times and police didn`t help the teams.

According to a senior of ficer, theproposal will be sent to the IGP under intimation to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the next couple of days.

`Initially, we are proposing handover of two police stations -Deepalpur city in Okara district and another in Kasur which covers the rural areas where we are f acing issues. There are countless cases where people steal electricity through direct hooks on Lesco wires/cables and manhandle field officials,` Lesco Chief Executive Officer Syed Wajid Ali Kazmi told Dawn on Saturday.

He said once the IGP agreed with the proposal and handed overthe police stations under administrative and functional control of Lesco to the extent of electricity dues/bills and capturing the power thieves, the company would pay salaries and other benefits to all police officials appointed there.

`If this pilot project proves successful, we may further request the government to give us some more police stations in Sheikhupura, Nankana, Kasur, Okara and Lahore,` Mr Kazmi added.

At least 272 of the 1,600 feeders in Lesco service areas are considered high-loss places -a number which has been reduced from 472in the last couple of years.

`Actually the total number of the high-loss feeders was 472. And these were having 25, 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 per cent line losses. Our teams in collaboration with the elected representatives, influential people and police first reduced the number to 372 and later to 272.

And now the loss percentage of 100 has come down to 15pc or so and another 100 have picked the lowering loss trend to below 20. Though the remaining 272 have also moved toward low loss trend, we need an extraordinary support from the police in this regard,` the Lesco chief claimed.