OKARA: A middle-aged gardener was electrocuted on Monday when he touched a live electric wire while trimming a tree in the Model Cooperative Housing Society (MCHS), where the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) had allegedly permitted suspension of power supply for six hours.

Sources say that the local office of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) had issued a permit for suspension of power supply to the MCHS, on Akbar Road up to DHQ City Hospital from 8:15am to 2pm for Monday.

They say that gardener Shaukat, knowing that the power supply to the area had been suspended, climbed on a 15-foot-high tree to trim its branches. While trimming the branches, he touched an electricity wire that was live and suffered a massive electric shock. After suffering electric shock, the gardener got stuck with the live wire.

On knowing about the incident, the MCHS residents made repeated phone calls to file a complaint with the Lesco’s Civil Line office, which were not responded for half an hour.

He touched a live wire during ‘power suspension’ by Lesco

Some of the residents went to the Lesco office and informed the officials on duty about the incident, who switched off the power supply to the colony.

The sources say that the Lesco officials appeared shocked to know that despite issuance of the permit for suspension, the power supply to the colony was on.

Later, Rescue 1122 teams and Lesco officials reached the spot with a crane and brought down the gardener who was unresponsive. He was shifted to the DHQ Hospital’s emergency where the duty doctor pronounced him dead.

Lesco Civil Line division Executive Engineer (EXEN) Irfanullah Awan claimed that the permit for suspension of power supply could be withdrawn any time as the company was not bound to inform regarding the restoration of electricity to an area.

He said any private person must not touch electricity wires for activities like trimming trees without informing Lesco so that such incidents could be avoided.

The colony residents demanded the Lesco chief to take notice of the incident and take action against the officials who restored the power supply to the area before the time mentioned on the permit.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2025