PESHAWAR
\nBesides high inflation and price-hike, Pakistan is also confronted with the monster challenge of electricity theft, which is adversely affecting agriculture, economy, industrial and domestic consumers in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
\nThe electricity theft either through direct hocks or tempering of meters has not only widened the demand-supply gap of electricity in Khyber Pakthunkhwa but also made negative effects on business and agriculture activities besides affecting educational institutes and hospitals in remote and far flung areas such Bannu, DI Khan, Lakki Marwat and rural Peshawar due to kunda culture.
\n\u201cElectricity is a social as well as an economic crime that is not only hampering the national economy but also has a negative effect on the agriculture production and industries\u2019 exports,\u201d said Zilakat Malik, former Chairman, Economics Department, University of Peshawar while talking to APP on Monday.
\nHe said the energy\u2019s theft techniques including meters tempering, direct hooks (illegal connections) from transmission lines, physical destruction of energy meters\/poles and fake billing are causing instability in prices of perishable and non-perishable goods in open markets due to shortfall in agriculture and industrial produce besides increase power\u2019s circular debts.
\nBesides Pakistan, he said that about 102 countries in the world were confronted with the grave problem of energy theft due to poor electricity infrastructure, political and economic uncertainty, corruption and the kunda mafia.
\nCiting reports, he said that electricity worth Rs380 billion had been stolen including Rs200 billion through direct hooks during 2022-23 and warned of Rs520 billion predicted electricity\u2019s losses during the current fiscal year if decisive action has not been taken against black sheep in power distribution companies and big electricity thieves.
\nDr Zilakat Malik said the past governments had increased tariffs in a bid to bring the level of power debt down while the real cause of circular debt is electricity theft and line losses. He said this speaks volumes about poor policy planning of the past successive regimes and the tendency to burden honest consumers for the crime committed by others, who go scot free as theft takes places allegedly in connivance with staff of power distribution companies.
\n\u201cThe excessive load shedding has made our life miserable,\u201d said Misal Khan, a retired information officer o f Pabbi tehsil Nowshera district while talking to APP. \u201cAfter every two hours, there is one hour load-shedding in my village besides low voltage affecting law-abiding consumers,\u201d he said.
\nHe called for the use of the Whistleblower Act and launching of a wide scale public awareness campaign for prevention of power theft and bills recovery. For this purpose, loud speakers, display awareness banners in streets, mohallahs, markets and union council level may be used besides utilization of digital technology, social media platforms, TV channels and newspapers.
\nUsman Islam, Spokesman of PESCO said that as per Govt directives, a grand operation against electricity stealers has been started across the province where thousands of illegal hooks removed besides imposition of millions of fines.
\n\u201cWe have adopted zero tolerance against power thieves, and that cases against the accused were being registered after receiving complaints from SDO and field staff with the help of police and district administration,\u201d he said.
\nThe PESCO has launched the special anti theft campaign after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government\u2019s task force on power decided about a large-scale crackdown on the people involved in stealing electricity including \u201cbig fish and influential mafia.\u201d
\nThe lists of factories, hotels, commercial plazas, wedding halls, shopping malls, shops and illegal housing societies involved in power theft have also been prepared for the crackdown. \u201cLike banks, shops and houses\u2019 robberies, electricity theft was also a serious crime that should be hated by the society,\u201d he said, adding besides three to seven years rigorous imprisonment, a fine of Rs10 million fine or both could be imposed against electricity\u2019s thieves.
\n\u201cAs evidence, a video of electricity thieves was being prepared with the help of cameras by the specialist staff for prompt legal action under the law. He said the accused who were caught red handed over, were handed over to police.
\nThe provincial government has already notified the formation of the task force and its enforcement committees at tehsil and district levels to implement a multifaceted approach to effectively combat electricity theft and make recoveries from defaulters quickly.
\nUsman said the campaign for recovery of outstanding dues has been expedited in the province where 92per percent recovery achieved this year due to the PESCO\u2019s successful plans.
\nHe said protest was no solution to any problem rather consumers\u2019 cooperation was required to save energy and curb power pilferage. Like other crimes, he said the people should also hate power theft and socially boycott electricity thieves.
\nUsman urged people to call 118 for sharing of information against power thieves and their names would be kept secret.
\nHe said Deputy Commissioners and District Police Officers were providing security to the PESCO staff during the ongoing crackdown, saying after seeing intensity in the crackdown the power stealers have started removing direct hooks voluntarily.
\nAs a law abiding nation, it is our collective responsibility to cooperate with the staff of power distribution companies to curb power theft. That was the only viable option to get rid of load shedding and move the country on the road to economic prosperity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Besides high inflation and price-hike, Pakistan is also confronted with the monster challenge of electricity theft, which is adversely affecting agriculture, economy, industrial and domestic consumers in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. The electricity theft either through direct hocks or tempering of meters has not only widened the demand-supply gap of electricity in Khyber Pakthunkhwa but also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-356781","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n