SAHIWAL: The Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) has started a major crackdown on defaulter tubewell owners in the Sahiwal circle.

Most of these defaulters were located in tehsil Sahiwal, Arifwala, Pakpattan and Chichawatni. Mahar Allah Yar, the Mepco executive engineer, said that 3,008 agricultural tubewell owners owed the power company Rs244 million in outstanding bills. Mepco had declared them defaulters after giving them a grace period, and started suspending power supply to their land.

Sources told Dawn that 178 connections of tubewell defaulters had already been suspended against whom Rs75 million were pending.

Mepco was conducting raids in Sahiwal andPakpattan districts to recover outstanding dues from 219 and 2,589 defaulters, respectively.

There is Rs224 million outstanding in Pakpattan district and Rs20 million in Sahiwal.

MURDER: A youth shot dead his elder brother over a property dispute in Fateh Sher Colony on Tues day morning.

Rana Zeeshan and Rana Waqas were involved in a dispute over some family property and had several arguments over its distribution.

Witnesses said that the brothers exchanged harsh words and later got into a fight.

Waqas, the younger brother, brought a pistol from the house and shot at his elder brother. Rescue 1122 sources said Zeeshan died on the spot.

Fateh Sher police arrested Waqas along with the pistol and registered a first information report.