Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif directed officials on Saturday to complete the installation of smart metres as “soon as possible” to ensure transparency in the billing system and called for “concrete steps” to prevent electricity theft.

He said while presiding over a review meeting on the performance of electricity distribution companies (DISCOs). The deliberations centred on the affairs of Lahore Electric Supply Company, Peshawar Electric Supply Company and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), a PM Office Media Wing press release said.

“The overbilling is unacceptable and strict action would be taken against officers involved in such practices,” PM Shehbaz said.

He expressed concern over the delay in the appointment process of chief executive officers of the distribution companies and directed for ensuring CEOs’ appointments through a “highly transparent process” and asked for its completion at the earliest.

Recruitment of workforce in distribution companies should be merit-based, with no compromise on transparency, he added.

Officials briefed on the achievement of targets which included recovery rates (up to November of FY 2024-25): LESCO: 96.82 per cent, PESCO: 87.98 per cent and FESCO: 97.57 per cent.

Transmission and distribution losses (up to November of FY 2024-25) in these companies remained at: LESCO: 13.04 per cent, PESCO: 33 per cent and FESCO: 6.01 per cent.

The meeting was also apprised of the smart meter installation progress:-

LESCO: Out of 223,365 three-phase smart meters, 49,470 had been installed.

PESCO: Out of 152,559 smart meters, 51,173 have been installed.

FESCO: Out of 192,311 smart meters, 11,276 have been installed.

LESCO, PESCO and FESCO offered consumers’ facilities for complaint resolution and other services via call centres, emails, websites, interactive voice response systems, and NEPRA’s mobile and web services.

Moreover, free access to the 118 helpline from all mobile operators was being ensured for complaints related to electricity transmission, it was further added.

The complaint resolution (up to November) stood at: LESCO; 99.2 per cent, PESCO; 99.9 per cent and FESCO; 99.7 per cent.