‘Systematic electricity theft in Lesco’

LAHORE
The board of directors of Lahore Electric Supply Company has uncovered what a member calls a ‘systematic electricity theft’, which is not only rampant in all 160 or so sub-divisions of power utility but being done with the connivance of staff concerned.
The analysis of power theft was carried out by the BoD and its results were shared with the Lesco top management. Member of the board who does not want to be named claimed that the Lesco management is not in a mood to implement the instructions of board for curbing the electricity theft. It is learnt that top management have shown reluctance in giving appropriate punishments to officials dubbed as most corrupt by the BoD.
When contacted, Lesco chief executive did not attend call made at his official phone. His assistant informed that he has gone to Islamabad for attending a meeting.
The Lesco Board has identified the systematic power theft at feeder level and based on these systematic irregularities, it is found that an axis of officials are indulged in the corporation, said one of the members of Lesco Board. “We have tagged performance of all feeders as far as power theft is concerned under four categories ie red, yellow, green and gold. By analysing performance of all the feeders and sub divisions, list of top 15 most corrupt officials have been made for taking action against them,” he added. Board member said the Lesco top management did not buy analysis of the BoD about systematic power theft and trying to resist move of taking action against identified culprits. They have done their own calculations about the power theft, he added. According to the member BoD, the pattern of electricity theft is very structured and main staff of almost all the 160 or so sub-division was found indulged in it.
It is pertinent to mention that the electricity consumers have been raising the issue of overbilling for long. They claimed that they have been overbilled by the Lesco in a bid to rationalise quantum of losses. The BoD found after analysing the customer data that under billing and over billing has been made systematically.
As per finding of the board, Lesco staff divert electricity quota of one feeder to another to make things more complicated in an effort to hide power theft. Such intervention makes it impossible to discover theft in a particular feeder, said board member. However, after persistent follow ups, now such practice of diverting power of a particular feeder to another feeder has been stopped. It is learnt that the board is continuously giving warnings to Lesco management and has succeeded in getting a few involved officials punished.
The action being taken against such officials is to remove them from the field duty. In the present circumstance, board member said this is the only effective remedy we have found against the corrupt officials of the power utility.
The board member recalled that Lesco management was bent upon avoiding action against the officials involved in the power theft. He said even instructions in this regard were not properly communicated through minutes of the board meeting. The top management of Lesco fudged this part from minutes of the board meeting, said the member. He termed controlling power theft in the biggest power utility of the country a tiresome effort. However, he resolved to take affirmative action against systematic power theft in the company.