The factory drew gas from a pipeline attached to the main SNGPL supply pipeline to the estate. PHOTO: Express
MULTAN: At least three major industrial units in the industrial estate here were fined Rs160 million during a raid by the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Monday, a press release issued by the district government read.
Additional Deputy Collector General Ali Akbar Bhatti supervised the raid.
Bhatti told The Express Tribune that the raid had been conducted on the directions of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The district administration was told to supervise the raid to avoid the possibility of some Mepco or SNGPL officials letting the violators slip, he said.
He said the district government had sent a report to the chief minister’s monitoring cell of all raids carried out over the past week.
Nafees Paper Mills did not have Mepco and SNGPL connections. The factory drew gas from a pipeline attached to the main SNGPL supply pipeline to the estate.
The factory was fined Rs120 million for stealing gas for seven years. It was also fined Rs15 million for electricity theft. An FIR has been registered against its owners.
A glass factory in the area was also fined Rs15 million for electricity and gas theft.
Mepco Operations General Manager Abdul Mateen Khan told The Express Tribune that 200 FIRs had been registered in several cases of electricity theft in the last 10 days.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2013.
COMMENTS (5)
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is this the CM or PM job only for public consumption
ET start publishing names of the owners as well as their pictures if we want to make them accountable.
Why not put in jail? Fine should follow later. Someone in judiciary should ask the Government to try and put them behind bars for maximum punishment. Then only people would not dare to steal. They loot gas of say 700 mio and pay fine of 160 mio. This would not stop unless these people are put behind bars.
Great work. Culprits need to be harshly punished. Though the raids should have started long ago but non the less good step. Kpk also needs to conduct similar actions so theft there is very high