The Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) has completed a detailed study of commercial and domestic areas that identified 10,000 sites as dangerous locations in the city. Lesco's Chief Executive Officer Syed Wajid Ali Khazmi disclosed this while speaking at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) regional office where he visited to discuss various problems and concerns of business community. He said each division had been assigned to take necessary steps at 50 risky places in their territorial jurisdiction.
He highlighted the reasons for loadshedding, low voltage, shut down and tripping. He said the issue of loadshedding would be completely resolved by 2017. "Lesco is purchasing seven hundred thousand meters which would be utilised to replace burned and damaged meter to avoid issues of over-billing," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, FPCCI Regional Chairman Mian Rehman Aziz Chan highlighted problems of hanging wires in various markets of city and raised the issue of loadshedding and electricity fluctuation and said loadshedding had been reduced considerably but due to mismanagement and governance issues many cities were still facing the frequent unscheduled loadshedding, shut down, tripping and low voltage problems which needed serious consideration.
He said line losses and theft of electricity should be calculated on the bases of each feeder and grid, and electricity bills should be charged from the industrialists on the bases of loss registered on each concerned feeder and grid. "Standard operating procedures (SOP) for maintenance of transformers should be made public. Fluctuation of electricity is also a big concern for the industries which impacts on production," he said and urged for early resolution of that problem.
He also apprised the Lesco's chief of different issues including; increasing line losses, over billings, wrong billings, theft of electricity, frequent burning of transformers, shortage of necessary maintenance material of electricity, shortage of workshops for the maintenance of transformers and shortage of cranes for maintenance on high pools to re-fix the fuses.