Crackdown on electricity theft planned.

LAHORE -- The caretaker Punjab government, on Wednesday, issued instructions to commissioners and regional police officers (RPOs) to launch a crackdown on electricity thieves. The instructions were issued by Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman during a videolink meeting held at the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday. The additional chief secretary (Home), secretaries of industries, energy department, Additional IG Special Branch attended the meeting while commissioners, RPOs and heads of Power Distribution Companies participated through videolink. The meeting decided to take stern action against those government employees and officers patronizing electricity theft and to improve the prosecution procedure after registration of FIR against power thieves.

The chief secretary said that prevention of electricity theft was a national cause. He said that the burden of electricity theft has to be borne by the common...