LAHORE: Nearly 1,800 cases related to power theft were reported in several service areas of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) in Lahore metropolitan and the districts of Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib during the month of February.

According to a spokesperson, the Lesco field operation teams inspected thousands of spots in February, detecting as many as 1,790 power theft cases, submitting applications to police for registration of 1,760 FIRs against alleged pilferers.

The spokesperson says the police have so far registered 547 FIRs, arresting 24 power thieves. The Lesco teams charged these power thieves with 2 million units worth about Rs75 million. Besides this, the teams also recovered Rs15.8m from the power bill defaulters, he claims.

Explaining the circle-wise situation, the spokesperson says the company’s central circle remains on top with detection of 358 power theft cases, followed by eastern circle where 309 cases were reported.

He says that 270 cases were reported in northern circle, besides “hundreds of cases” reported in Okara, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana circles.

The spokesperson says that of total 24 arrested suspects, 21 belonged to Kasur alone.

SPAL: The Suthra Punjab Agency Lahore (SPAL), formerly the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), claimed to have intensified its “special cleanliness operation” in Samanabad Town, deploying 1,400 sanitation workers and 300 operational vehicles, to ensure effective waste management across the area.

According to SPAL Director General Babar Sahib Din, as many as 280 loader-rickshaws have been specifically assigned duties for door-to-door waste collection in Samanabad Town to improve service delivery and eliminate waste accumulation.

“SPAL teams have completed special cleanliness operations in key areas including Gulshan-i-Ravi, Yateem Khana Chowk and Babu Sabu, while dedicated sanitation teams remain deployed around Karim Block, Moon Market, Ayubia Market and Ichhra Bazaar,” he claimed.

Cleanliness activities are also ongoing in Chauburji, Samanabad, Multan Road, GOR-II and Islamia Park, with authorities focusing on comprehensive coverage of residential and commercial zones,” he explained.

He further stated that all 32 identified garbage hot spots in Samanabad Town have been cleared. Manual sweeping and scraping operations are being carried out around schools, colleges and commercial markets to maintain hygienic conditions. Additionally, all temporary waste collection points are being cleared daily under a zero-waste policy, he says.

He adds that phased special cleanliness activities are underway in all nine towns of Lahore.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2026