To curb power theft and address billing issues, Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has decided to install 1.7 million modern meters based on advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).
The total cost of the initiative will be around $300 million. Not only will the move help in saving traditional meter reading expenses, but it will also eliminate line losses.
Since, AMI based meters continuously transmit information to a central control room, incidents of transformers and meters catching fire will also decline significantly across the provincial capital.
Moreover, LESCO consumers will be able to check their electric load, voltage, and bill at any time.
Project Details Of the total project cost, ADB will pay almost 78.5% while LESCO will fund the remaining expenses.
Under the project, 1,474,532 single-phase and 213,120 three-phase AMI based meters will be installed in LESCO’s south and central circles.
28,753 old industrial and..
Category: Others
Peshawar Will No Longer Issue Driving Licenses
The Peshawar traffic police announced on Sunday that it will be halting the issuance of driving licenses for two weeks from today in as a preventive measure against coronavirus (COVID-19). The measure could be extended if the viral outbreak is not controlled.
This step was taken after the orders by the federal and provincial governments that directed all public places including school, colleges, universities, marquees; parks and other such places to be closed down, said the traffic police.
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The officers said that due to this, even the two driving schools managed by the City Traffic Police in the city have been shut down until further notice.
The officials and other personnel at the City Traffic Police have been ordered to follow the precautionary steps laid out by the government and doctors.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
PIA Gets Approval to Bring Back Stranded Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has allowed Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to bring back passengers and Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia till March 17.
The national carrier can send its aircraft to Jeddah and Madina only for the purpose of bringing back those stranded in Saudi Arabia.
A circular issued by the Saudi authorities said flight operation of Saudi Airlines from Jeddah and Medina to Pakistan will continue till March 19.
CAA had written a letter addressed to President General Authority of Civil Aviation Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the suspension on entry into kingdom of Saudi Arabia (circular dated March 12. 2020).
The spokesman of PIA, Abdullah Hafeez said the national flag carrier had operated 65 flights from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia from March 13 to March 15 and brought back 17,184 passengers. He said PIA had been granted special permission by the Saudi authorities to operate its flights to Jeddah and Madina till March 17.
“We hope our flight operation will be ..
COVID-19 Cases in Sindh Alone Jump to 76; Pakistan Tally Now Reaches 94
The COVID-19 spread in Pakistan continues to see a rapid spike with the national tally reaching 94. Sindh alone has reported 76 cases with two recoveries to date.
Adviser to Chief Minister of Sindh on Law, Anti-Corruption Establishment, and information Murtaza Wahab has announced in a Tweet that the number of COVID-19 cases has reached 76 in the province.
The center and provincial governments are taking strong measures to curb the spread. The Sindh government has ordered all parks and public recreational facilities across the province to be shut. Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar also issued similar instructions for recreational facilities falling under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
Hostels of varsities across Punjab have also been converted into quarantine centers. Punjab has prohibited hoarding of sanitizers, public gatherings under Section 144. Pakistan International Airlines has also suspended flight operations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The country had already b..
Trading Halted at the PSX Yet Again
For the fourth time in six working days, the trading was halted at the Pakistan Stock Exchange after the KSE-30 index fell down by 5%.
On Monday, the KSE-100 index dropped down by nearly 4.58% to 34,409 points amid coronavirus fears. The panic-induced selling caused the index to nosedive over 1,651 points in early trading, which led to a halt to trading activity for nearly 45 minutes as per the new PSX rules.
External shocks due to breakout of coronavirus infections are pushing Pakistani stocks into a bear market.
Upon imposition of market halt, all equity and equity-based derivative markets got suspended.
The ‘market halt’ had been introduced by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in PSX regulations in December 2019. It comes into action when the KSE-30 index moves 4% either way and remains there for five consecutive minutes.
A.A.H Soomro, managing director at Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities Pvt said,
“The fear is spreading faster than the virus. Investo..
SBP Will Intervene to Stabilize the Currency & Economy: Report
The State Bank of Pakistan has stated that it is ready to take action to support financial markets in the face of the the coronavirus pandemic, reported Bloomberg.
The pandemic has led to a sell-off in the country’s bonds and has also triggered Pakistan’s net sales of $772 million in short-term rupee debt in March after eight successive months of purchases that totaled $3.1 billion.
According to the report, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Reza Baqir said in an email
The current market volatility in Pakistan is externally driven and the strengthening in the fundamentals of Pakistan’s economy that drove the improvement in Pakistan markets before the outbreak of coronavirus remains intact,” The central bank “is monitoring the situation closely and remains ready to take any actions needed to address disorderly market conditions.
The State Bank got involved on Friday, and helped the rupee to advance 0.1% after a four-day decline, according to people familiar with the matter. Global cent..
Careem’s Leadership & Colleagues Become ‘Captain for the Day’, Hit the Road to Connect with Customers & Captains
To connect and better understand the challenges of the customers and Captains, Careem’s Country General Manager along with his leadership team and colleagues took the wheels to drive around major cities across the country as Careem Captains.
The teams were excited to participate in the activity where they drove around the city and picked up rides like any other regular Captain. This gave them an opportunity to interact directly with the customers and take their feedback on the service. They also took pictures to share the experience on social media.
While Careem is focused on a mission to make the daily commute affordable and convenient for its customers, it is also trying to make life easier for its Captains. The activity not only gave the colleagues an opportunity to connect with the customers, it also provided them a first-hand experience of what it’s like to drive around the city to earn an income.
Zeeshan Hasib Baig, Country General Manager, Careem Pakistan, was delighted with ..
Match 30: Defending Champions Quetta Knocked Out of PSL 2020
Karachi Kings won the toss and elected to bat first as Quetta faced an impossible equation to qualify for the semi-finals.
Batting first, Karachi posted a meager total of 150/5 as only Cameron Delport got a fifty. His innings of 62 included 5 fours and 2 sixes. Naseem Shah was amazing with the ball, taking two wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs.
Quetta was out of the race almost right after losing the toss. The fifties from Shane Watson and Khurram Manzoor got them the win, but, they were knocked out of the tournament.
Pre-Match It’s another must-win match for Quetta Gladiators, however, a win will not guarantee them a place in the semi-finals.
If Quetta can win big, they might well have a chance, however, it is highly unlikely considering the almost-impossible net run rate situation.
Match Details Date Sunday, 15th March 2020 Time 07:00 pm PST Venue National Stadium Karachi Head-to-Head The two teams have played 8 times with Quetta Gladiators winning 6 and Karachi Kings emer..
Match 29: Lynn Special Takes Qalandars to Semi-Finals for the First Time
Lahore Qalandars won the toss and elected to field first.
1st Innings
After a poor start, Multan Sultans batsmen, Shan Masood and Ravi Bopara steadied the ship, adding 75 for the 3rd wicket. Shan made 42 while Bopara got out after scoring 33.
Late blitz from Khushdil Shah, who made an unbeaten 70 from 29 including 6 sixes, and a cameo from Rohail Nazir powered Sultans to a respectable total of 186/6.
David Wiese and Shaheen Afridi took two wickets each.
2nd Innings
A brilliant opening partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Chris Lynn made sure Lahore Qalandars was always ahead in the chase. Fakhar fell after scoring 57 from 35 balls.
It was Chir Lynn who played a masterclass of an innings to take his team to the semi-finals for the first time ever in PSL history. He remained unbeaten at 113 from 55 balls including 8 sixes.
In the end, it was a comfortable victory for the home side.
Pre-Match It’s the last day of league matches with a double-header in Lahore and Karachi. Today’s ..
Submarine Cable Might be to Blame for Internet Slowdown: ISPs
If you are experiencing slow internet or disconnections, you are not alone. Internet service providers are reporting a technical fault and disruptions in their network, causing problems for customers around Pakistan.
According to an official presser from Stormfiber:
Both of our upstream providers have reported degradation on certain western destinations on their network. While it is too early to conclude the exact root cause of the issue, we suspect an outage on an international cable segment(s) or route(s) further upstream.
Similarly, Transworld has also issued a statement warning about a similar problem:
Based on customer reports, Nayatel was also experiencing a general slowdown but seems to be back to normal for the time being. The company did not issue any statements.
We will keep you posted on any further developments.
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