Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Chaudhary Muhammad Amin, has announced that the federal government may empower electric companies (DISCOs) with magisterial powers to overcome theft.
As quoted by the News, the LESCO Chief stated that granting magisterial powers to the employees of the DISCOs is a necessity, which will help resolve electricity theft-related cases promptly.
He further detailed that establishing special courts, assigning such cases to lower courts judges, and granting powers to tehsildars will massively improve the financial situation of the energy sector.
Last month, Senate’s Standing Committee on Power was told that the circular debt in the power sector has soared to Rs. 2.5 trillion.
In this regard, the Chairman of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), Engr. Tauseef Farooqi, informed the Committee that out of the total electricity generated in the country, 65 percent is produced through coal and 35 percent with hydel, while coal prices have massively surged from $50 to $400 in the international market.
In addition, International Monetary Fund (IMF) also highlighted the country’s skyrocketing circular debt last month, which is close to 3.4 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).