LAHORE: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Monday that the government is intensifying efforts to combat power theft and overbilling in power distribution companies (Discos).
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Minister Naqvi revealed that a staggering overbilling of 830 million electricity units has been identified in Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) alone. This overbilling affected government offices, industries, and consumers, prompting the Prime Minister’s commitment to support the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in combating this issue until fully resolved.
Minister Naqvi disclosed plans for an FIA and Power Ministry joint campaign against power theft in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), seeking the assistance of Frontier Corps (FC) for raids in areas like Peshawar and Kohat. Notably, some LESCO officials acknowledged overcharging consumers, with 830 million extra units billed in one year alone.
Addressing concerns about Karachi Electric (KE), Minister Naqvi urged officials to address consumer complaints of overbilling. He emphasized the need to halt overbilling schemes, citing instances where even low-consumption users received inflated bills.
Acknowledging FIA’s crackdown success, Minister Naqvi highlighted electricity theft hotspots in KP and Balochistan, affirming government measures to eradicate this practice.
Regarding ongoing investigations into the Noshki incident and Amir Tamba’s murder, Minister Naqvi assured thorough inquiries. He also mentioned plans to enhance the FIA’s cybercrime unit and proposed legislation to regulate social media.
Responding to queries about recent political statements, Minister Naqvi refrained from commenting, emphasizing unity and cautioning against exaggerating issues like the Bahawalnagar incident.
