Pay Up or Face Legal Action: WASA Appends FIR Warnings Over 1-Month Overdue Bills

LAHORE: The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Lahore has started attaching First Information Report (FIR) warning notices directly to consumer utility bills, ARY News reported.

According to details, these legal warning notices are being dispatched even to consumers who have missed only a single month’s payment.

The aggressive recovery tactic has drawn sharp criticism from local residents. Expressing their anger, disgruntled consumers stated, “We are receiving outright threatening messages over a single month’s unpaid bill.”

Earlier,  the WASA Lahore issued a strong warning to residents regarding open manholes, announcing that attempt-to-murder cases will be registered against anyone found stealing, buying, or selling manhole covers.

In a message shared on social media, WASA appealed to citizens to help protect lives by immediately reporting missing or damaged manhole covers in their neighborhoods.

“Residents of Lahore are urged to safeguard the lives of their loved ones. If a manhole cover in your street or locality is missing or broken, report it immediately to the nearest WASA office or through the provided complaint channels,” the statement read.

WASA further warned that strict legal action would be taken against those involved in the theft or trade of manhole covers.

“Any person found stealing, purchasing, or selling manhole covers will face FIRs with Section 324 – attempt-to-murder,” the agency warned.

WASA Lahore also shared helpline numbers for water and sewerage-related complaints, advising citizens to contact 1334 or 0334-1334470 to lodge complaints.

The statement came in the wake of a tragic incident in Lahore’s Bhati Gate area, where a woman and her nine-month-old daughter lost their lives after falling into an open manhole. Following the incident, and on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, several government officials were arrested on charges of negligence.