Minister springs into action as Asif goes public with LESCO complaint

Asif alleges that Lesco workers charged villagers Rs80,000 to repair damaged transformer, fail to provide any receipt

ISLAMABAD

Minister for Power Awais Leghari has taken "strict action" against a Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) officials who allegedly collected money from villagers for repairing a transformer without providing any official receipt.

In a social media post of May 30, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that some Lesco employees charged villagers Rs80,000 to repair a damaged transformer but failed to provide any official receipt for the payment.

According to the minister, a transformer in the village of one of his domestic servants burned out, leaving residents without electricity. The defence minister said he contacted a former LESCO chief executive officer and requested assistance in resolving the issue.

Lesco employees subsequently repaired the transformer and collected Rs80,000 from villagers, who pooled the amount through community contributions, Asif said. "Nobody issued a receipt for the payment," he stated, alleging that the utility staff refused to provide any documentation despite receiving the money.

"This is the situation where even a former power minister and a serving member of the federal cabinet cannot prevent such practices despite making a recommendation. You can imagine the plight of an ordinary consumer," he said.

Asif maintained that the payment had been made in full and reiterated that Lesco officials had declined to issue a receipt. The incident he said, raised concerns about accountability within the power utility.

On Sunday, the power minister addressed a press conference in Islamabad and stated that Khawaj Asif's post on X was "a source of pride for us as we believe in self-accountability". He added that "strict action" has been taken against the relevant line superintendent after Asif's post.

"This is a part of our self-accountability. It is the public representative's job to highlight people's problems," he added.