LAHORE: The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) chief has terminated 32 officials from service and imposed penalties against another 100 in terms of denying increments and demotions on corruption during the last two years.
Talking to Business Recorder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mujahid Pervaz Chattah said the company staff at the sub division office level was involved in misguiding consumers regarding availability of material. There was a general perception that the LESCO has always been in dearth of material. However, with the improvement in online interaction between the company management and consumers besides timely actions, the complaints regarding shortage of material have reduced remarkably.
It is for the first time that officials, even up to the level of Sub Division Officer (SDO), were terminated from the service on corruption charges. It has improved the performance of staff as its involvement in patronage of consumers in steeling energy has reduced to a large extent. The feedback mechanism of the company suggests that there is a substantial reduction in such practices, he added.
He said he has also brought a fundamental change in purchasing mechanism of the company. Earlier, he said, the company management was used to start strategizing purchase plan with the start of a financial year and finalization of the plan by the end of October. It was followed by approval by Board of Directors (BoD), therefore, the start of material purchase was always late in a financial year, leading to general headache for consumers.
"After assuming charge as CEO LESCO, I asked the management to change their working on purchase plan and start it by the end of ongoing fiscal year to finalize by the end of it. We have started this practice over the last two years, which has enabled us purchasing material at the advent of a new financial year. There is no shortage of material in the Company," he asserted.
Chattah further pointed out that the Company (LESCO) has spent about Rs 15 billion for rehabilitation and augmentation of grid and transmission system as well as distribution system.
He said the LESCO has added 19 new 132 kV grid stations, augmented 16 and added 42 new power transformers besides laying 179 km and up-gradation of 125 km of 132 kV transmission lines. It is the only distribution company having transferred its whole system on 132 kV from 66 kV transmission system, he added.
He said the LESCO has generated financial resources from its own revenues and not a single penny was injected by the government. There are no constraints in delivering of electricity to consumers as the transmission and distribution of the LESCO is fully capable to digest maximum demand.
He said the LESCO transmission had borne a load of 5,000 megawatt during the last summer as the company has overcome all major irritants of distribution system.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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