SUKKUR, Aug 11: Hesco chief executive Adeebul Hassan Rizvi has directed executive engineers and SDOs of the Sukkur and Larkana region to issue detection bills to power thieves.

He issued the directive after a survey by Hesco in which it was found that line-losses in the region had doubled as compared to the last year and electricity theft had also increased.

Earlier, the Hesco chief executive had seized powers of the company officials to issue detection bills on complaints that all consumers, whether stealing electricity or not, were being issued such bills.

A committee had also been formed to examine cases of power theft and detection bills on merit so that line-losses could be reduced and grievances of consumers redressed.

Hesco sources told this correspondent that electricity theft in rural areas of the interior of Sindh, including Jacobabad, Thul, Kandhkot, Shikarpur and other areas, was on the rise.

ROBBERY: Passengers of a Nawabshah-bound wagon were looted by armed dacoits near Sakrand on Tuesday. The dacoits, impersonating as passengers, had boarded the wagon in Hyderabad.