LAHORE - Eyebrows have been raised as the main electricity supply cable connected to the office of the chief secretary has been stolen from the rooftop of the CS block while police officials are still trying to solve the mystery, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to details, 40 yards of 4-core electric cable that supplied electricity to the office of the chief secretary have been allegedly stolen by unidentified people a few days ago, which also resulted in the suspension of electricity supply to the office of the topmost bureaucrat of the province.
Sources privy to the development said the office is being run on an alternative electricity supply after the cable weighing 1.5 maunds was “mysteriously” stolen. According to details, repair and maintenance work is underway at the office as new air conditioners are being installed for the committee room in the chief secretary’s block and employees from the building department are working on the rooftop on a daily basis.
The welfare wing of the services and general administration has filed a report with the police deployed in the secretariat for security. The police officials are also probing the incident.
Police sources informed that marks of electric sparks have been found on the roof from where the cable was stolen.
They also claimed that the cable could not have been shifted outside the secretariat because of its weight and because two police constables are deployed at all times, each on one side of the CS block. They said the constables would have definitely noticed if such a heavy cable was being transferred or thrown out.
Police sources further alleged that it might be a ploy of the officials to make “small” money through this as the cable costs around Rs 1.5 lakhs.
A senior official from the welfare wing confirmed that an application has been filed with the police to probe the matter.
DSP Security Syed Aon said the matter is being probed. He suspected that the electricians working on the roof were involved in the incident. “The matter will be concluded soon and the facts will be brought to light after the investigation is complete,” he added.
Sources further also informed that the incident had created a sense of insecurity among the officers working in the building as a lot of expensive equipment, like computers and LCDs, are installed in the offices. “If the main electricity supply cable to the CS office can be stolen, it raises serious questions about the security of the civil secretariat,” an official seeking anonymity said.
Additional Welfare Secretary Masood Mukhtar was not available for comments.