What is being described as bizarre, the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has stalled the conditional installment facility of electricity bills, initiated on the prime minister’s directives to provide relief to the coronavirus impacted consumers. The Lesco’s decision has now deprived the consumers who have submit bills in installments of the facility of additional installments.
According to details, Lesco has imposed a conditional ban on installments of electricity bills and refused to grant further installments on the bills collected in installments for three months, due to which consumers are facing difficulties in paying their bills, sources said.
The Lesco said that now domestic consumer will not have the facility of installments on three-month bills, while commercial customers will not get any further installments if they have installments for two months.
The company did not allow industrial consumers to get any further installment. According to officials, the Lesco has stalled the facility to improve recovery, which has been severely affected during the coronavirus lockdown.
It is to be noted that the Lesco has also started the process of disconnection of electricity connection of consumers who submit bills in the form of three installments by terming them defaulters. The company has included the arrears in the form of installments for three months in this month’s bills. Customers who submit their bills in installments by adding arrears have been declared as defaulters of the electricity bills.
It may be recalled that during the Coronavirus, the Prime Minister had given relief to electricity consumers to pay their bills in installments. Relief was being given in installments on the bills of electricity consumers. However, the Lesco has now ended the facility all of sudden without any governmental decision.
TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR JUDGES
Judicial academy arranged a training workshop for commercial overseas Pakistanis Courts attended by Chief Justice Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad, Chief Justice Lahore High Court Muhammad Qasim Khan, concerned judges and Vice Chairperson Overseas Pakistanis Commission Ch. Waseem Akhtar.
The participants of the training workshop were informed about the problems faced and early resolution of the complaints of overseas Pakistanis so their issues may be resolved at the earliest. Chief Justice Pakistan and Chief Justice Lahore High Court appreciated the effort of organizing training workshop. Moreover, Vice Chairperson Overseas Pakistanis Commission Ch. Waseem Akhtar while expressing his views on this occasion said that a comprehensive policy is being followed for the expeditious disposal of complaints. All the available resources are being utilized and close liaison is being maintained between the concerned departments in this regard.
Appreciating the effort of organizing this workshop he said, organization of training workshop is a great step and I am thankful to judiciary for it.