Fesco fines industrialist Rs34m for ‘power theft’

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TOBA TEK SINGH, Oct 22: Fesco’s Kamalia office on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs34 million against an alleged power theft in the industrial compound of Chak 55-GB Tukra Kamalia.

Kamalia Sadar police had registered an electricity theft case a week ago against industrialist Muhammad Sarwar for stealing power through a direct connection from an 11KV main transmission power supply line for setting up his own mini grid station.

The complainant, Fesco Executive Engineer Muhammad Afzal Kathia, told reporters on Tuesday he had repeatedly contacted Kamalia police but they were reluctant to arrest the accused.

The industrial compound comprises a poultry hatchery, a poultry feed factory, five automatic poultry shed farms, two tubewells of a big fish farm, a cold storage and several houses.

A Sadar police official claimed raids were being conducted to arrest the accused, while three days ago scores of villagers had staged a demonstration in favour of Sarwar claiming he was the owner of the industrial compound but had rented it out. So a case should be registered against the tenant and that Sarwar resided in the UK.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Kathia raided three powerlooms in Paghlanwala in Kamalia and detected power theft. He wrote to Kamalia city police for registration of a case against factory owner Abdul Jabbar Ansari. He claimed the owner was stealing electricity by installing mini remote-controlled devices in three phase meters of his factories to reserve used power units.

HOSPITAL: Faisalabad Commissioner Sardar Akram Javed has directed District Coordination Officer Dr Farah Masood to ensure early completion of DHQ Hospital’s new 125-bed medical block that was under construction with an approved sum of Rs214 million.

During his visit to the hospital on Tuesday, the commissioner inspected the children’s ward, dialysis unit and medicine store.

Later, he went to Rajana and visited Foundation Trust Hospital, which had been set up by Governor Chaudhry Sarwar.

Hospital Chairman Mian Kamal Din informed the commissioner that laboratory tests were available at the hospital at much lower rates than other laboratories of Toba and Faisalabad.

He said from the next month, an orthopaedic and an eye specialist would also be available.

Earlier, while attending a meeting in Toba, the commissioner asked DPO Dr Shahzad Asif to adopt foolproof security measures during Muharram to maintain peace in the district. He said peace committees should be activated and cooperation of clerics and religious scholars be sought for the purpose.

He said a prompt action must be taken in case of violation of the ban on use of loudspeaker and holding of unlawful public gatherings.

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