Daily Times

Amidst enormous economic challenges and untiring efforts of the government to steer country out of dilemmas, menaces like power pilferage continue to persist undermining economic, industrial and agricultural development.

Over the decades the country have been a prey to such menaces costing billions of rupees losses to national kitty as situation remains unchanged due to poor implementation of policies and rampant corruption in power supply companies.

The country is grappling with the monster challenge of electricity theft with expert believing that multiple factors like soaring electricity cost, an inadequate electricity infrastructure, rampant influence of corrupt practices and notorious ‘kunda mafia’ behind this phenomenon.

Professor Dr Zilakat Malik, former Chairman of the Economics Department at University of Peshawar believes direct connections as major source of power theft that cause massive losses to national exchequer.

According to him, our kitty suffer loss of billions of rupees due to direct hooks occurring commonly in connivance with the officers and employees of power distribution companies.

“Besides direct hooks, in many cases the companies employees get bribes and install fake meters even before submission of regular files or applications for electricity connections,” he stated. “Recent past calculations reveal an approximately Rs137 billion annual losses alone in KP and tribal areas.”

He said electricity theft through direct hooks or tempering the meters has not only widened the demand-supply gap of electricity but also had negative effects on our economy.

This tendency not only hamper economic activities, industrial production and agricultural produce but also effect domestic consumers and other sectors like health, education, small businesses, construction and small industry etc.

Dr Zilakat also sees occasional increase in power tariff and failure in constructing more dams and power houses as the key reasons behind this dilemma as he regrets extra burden on honest consumers to compensate the losses occurring due to power theft by influential and habitual thieves.

“This speaks of poor implementation of policies and lack of strict action against violators,” he pleaded. “We should not burden the honest consumers for the crime committed by influential who often go scot free after power pilferage.”

Despite Pakistan’s massive hydropower potential, the country has to depend on Independent Power Producers who keep sucking billions from poor consumers in the name of capacity payment that results in power prices hike.

At a time when we see power sector masters in KPK often excusing of a gap between demand and supply that usually result in load shedding, they seldom have valid reasons to justify power pilferage.

Kunda mafia operates boldly sometimes even threatening the companies’ employees when they ask for removing these hooks. This commonly happens when kunda mafia has backing of influential tribal leaders, politicians and the top government functionaries.

Tribal Electricity Supply Company (TESCO) spokesman has informed that the system shows about 180 MW electricity was drawn by consumers from express transmission line in merged tribal areas. Power used in these areas over and above this figure means stealing the power from the system.

“Non-metering and direct hocks in merged areas has overloaded power distribution system also causing fluctuation and tripping,” he said. “We need a Whistleblower Act and launching of broad based action and public awareness campaign to prevent power theft.”

Meanwhile, Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) spokesman Usman Saleem claimed of a grand operation against electricity stealers started from September last year and recovery of Rs 594.6 million from defaulters and stealers against the total charged amount of Rs 2.76 billion till date.

He informed that more than 87,223 illegal connections were removed registering cases against 36,583 people and arresting 10,490 culprits caught red handed. “Action was also taken against 57 PESCO employees including 24 arrested for facilitating thieves.”

He mentioned to starting ABC cables pilot project in Peshawar, Mardan and Swat districts to curb power pilferage besides proceeding actively on installation of AMR digital meters.

Usman said, out of 1,315 feeders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 650 feeders were declared load shedding free due high recovery of bills while scheduled load shedding was being carried out in 150 high loss feeders.

“Crackdown against factories, hotels, commercial plazas, wedding halls, shopping malls, shops and illegal housing societies involved in power theft was carried out with the help of police and district administration,” he narrated.

He said that under the law, there is three to seven years rigorous imprisonment and Rs10 million fine or both for electricity thieves and the provincial government has already notified to form a task force and enforcement committees at district and tehsil to effectively combat electricity theft.

“Overpowering grid stations by protesters could not be a solution. Rather politicians, religious leaders, media and consumers’ should cooperate to curb power pilferage in their respective areas,” he stressed.

Although, the Deputy Commissioners and District Police Officers provide security to PESCO staff during crackdown, still in some areas people manage to steal power hand in glove with companies employees and with the patronage of influential politicians and government high-ups.

Therefore, everybody right from the top government functionaries down to companies’ employees must buttress efforts to root out this menace and rescue honest consumers from cruel clutches of exploitation and injustice.