June 3, 2006	Saturday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, June 2: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Sindh government to provide within 15 days “Diyat” (compensation) to the legal heirs of three children who were electrocuted due to an illegal connection passing through a pond in Mirpurkhas.

Led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, a three-member bench hearing a suo motu notice on press reports regarding deaths of three children in Mirpurkhas also directed the chief executive, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), Khwaja Maqbool, and chairman canal and irrigation development agency (CIDA) to launch a drive against illegal holders of electricity connections throughout the Sindh province.

Inspector General Police Sindh is required to assist Hesco and CIDA in the campaign to be launched by them.

The boys were electrocuted while swimming in a pond from which bare wires of an illegal electricity connection to a tube-well were passing. Taking notice the court also ordered District Police Officer (DPO) Mirpurkhas to take action against the responsible accused and produce a report before the court.

Khwaja Maqbool and chairman CIDA told the court that the illegal electricity supply line was stolen from a 1,100kw high voltage transformer to a tube-well through underground bare wires. The illegal connection to the tube-well was given in connivance with the officials of Hesco and CIDA.

They also informed the court that over 55,000 people having illegal electricity connections had so far been arrested in the Sindh province and sometimes police was also involved in such crimes.