The Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has failed to collect the outstanding dues from government departments and in the last one year, the defaulted amount reached Rs 7.7 billion, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday. In March 2010, the defaulted amount was Rs 1.37 billion and in only 14 months it has grown to Rs 7.7 billion showing LESCO’s failure to catch defaulters. A number of new defaulters were added to the list during the past year and the company could only recovered petty amounts. The carefree attitude of the LESCO officials has caused huge losses to the company and in many cases, the defaulted amount has swollen six to ten times.
The biggest defaulter of company remained Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) owing Rs 3.43 b to LESCO now compared to Rs 1.13 b it owed last year. “The amount has kept increasing and if not controlled it will become a bad debt for the company,” said an official, adding it was up to the LESCO chief executive on how to handle the issue. Similarly, there was an increase in the defaulted amount of the Garrison (Army) North, which now owed Rs 108.16 m, whereas last year it had to pay Rs 51.16 m. The Punjab Police Department had a debt of Rs 189.82 m compared to last year’s Rs 49.15 m. The Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) now owed Rs 32.19 m while last year its default was Rs 31.76 m.
The TMO Gulberg now owed Rs 170.68 m while last year it had to pay Rs 21.25 m. The TMO Aziz Bhatti Town had a debt of Rs 85.83 m compared to last year’s Rs 19.98 m. The Pakistan PWD had to give Rs 19.73 m whereas last year it had defaulted Rs 15.36 m. The Punjab Irrigation Department now owed Rs 182.15 m whereas last year it owed Rs 15.24 m. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) would now pay Rs 40.85 m compared to last year’s Rs 10.47 m.
The Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) now had a debt of Rs 34.64 m, whereas last year it owed Rs 7.24 m to the LESCO. According to the LESCO, new defaulters added to the list included the Lahore Airport, Rs 74.33 m; Garrison Army (South), Rs 77.26 m; Cantonment Board, Rs 23.34 m; TMO Shalimar Town, Rs 451.25 m; TPO Pattoki, District Kasur, Rs 305.54 m; TMO Ravi Town, Rs 293.41 m; TMO Data Gang Baksh Town, Rs 248.38 m; TMO Iqbal Town, Rs 209.49 m; TMO Samanabad, Rs 178.09 m; Lahore District Government Health Department, Rs 119.66 m; Punjab Jails, Rs 103.13 m; District Government Lahore, Rs 99.47 m; TMO Nishter Town, Rs 87.72 m; TMO Wagha Town, Rs 85.70 m; Lady Wallingdon Hospital, Rs 60.08 m and Punjab Highways, Rs 45.39 m.
LESCO defaults increase fivefold as govt depts let off
