Electricity theft: Lesco ‘slackness’ hindering prosecutions
Judge asks Lesco chief to take action against officials who fail to turn up for hearings.
"A number of bail petitions have been pending for a long time... but no one [from Lesco] has turned up to assist the courts," Judge Sajjad Hussain Sindhar. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
An additional district and sessions judge has written to the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) chief executive seeking departmental action against officials for failing to turn up for hearings in over 30 electricity theft cases, The Express Tribune has learnt.
During bail hearings over the last month-and-a-half, the judge has repeatedly asked Lesco sub-divisional officers and assistant managers to come to court with the case records, but they have not done so, Judge Sajjad Hussain Sindhar wrote in the letter.
The judge is hearing about 30 cases involving 40 accused from Kahna, Jia Bagga and other areas.
“A number of bail petitions in respect of theft of electricity, registered under Section 39-A of the Electricity Act against several consumers in Kahna, Garden Town and Qila Gujjar Singh police stations, have been pending before this court for [a long time] but no one has turned up to assist the courts or join the investigation from the complainant, the Lesco authorities, so that the bail petitions can be concluded on merit,” reads the letter.
The judge asked the Lesco chief executive to take departmental action against the officials, saying their slackness was hurting the public exchequer which paid for court proceedings.
The number of electricity theft cases being heard at the district and sessions courts has shot up in recent weeks since the Punjab government set up a taskforce to stop it.
Several petitions have also been filed against Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) officials for allegedly extorting consumers seeking to install electricity meters.
For example, petitioner Muhammad Ashraf submitted that he had paid line superintendent Muhammad Waris Rs395,000 in January 2012 to install three phase meters at four shops he owned in Central Park.
The line superintendent allegedly never installed the meters nor returned the money.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2013.
An additional district and sessions judge has written to the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) chief executive seeking departmental action against officials for failing to turn up for hearings in over 30 electricity theft cases, The Express Tribune has learnt.
During bail hearings over the last month-and-a-half, the judge has repeatedly asked Lesco sub-divisional officers and assistant managers to come to court with the case records, but they have not done so, Judge Sajjad Hussain Sindhar wrote in the letter.
The judge is hearing about 30 cases involving 40 accused from Kahna, Jia Bagga and other areas.
“A number of bail petitions in respect of theft of electricity, registered under Section 39-A of the Electricity Act against several consumers in Kahna, Garden Town and Qila Gujjar Singh police stations, have been pending before this court for [a long time] but no one has turned up to assist the courts or join the investigation from the complainant, the Lesco authorities, so that the bail petitions can be concluded on merit,” reads the letter.
The judge asked the Lesco chief executive to take departmental action against the officials, saying their slackness was hurting the public exchequer which paid for court proceedings.
The number of electricity theft cases being heard at the district and sessions courts has shot up in recent weeks since the Punjab government set up a taskforce to stop it.
Several petitions have also been filed against Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) officials for allegedly extorting consumers seeking to install electricity meters.
For example, petitioner Muhammad Ashraf submitted that he had paid line superintendent Muhammad Waris Rs395,000 in January 2012 to install three phase meters at four shops he owned in Central Park.
The line superintendent allegedly never installed the meters nor returned the money.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2013.