Crackdown on power thieves

The recent internal and external efforts by power companies and regulators to address power theft are among the strongest measures ever taken, and for this reason alone, a welcome change. Almost all of the countrys power distribution companies have announced massive reshuffles and punitive action against staff over poor performance and corrupt practices. Over 1,914 officers are facing legal action, according to the Power Division, which also identified some senior staff among those being punished.

But we still have a long way to go. Some news reports say power distribution companies nationwide have only received about 2,200 official reports of power theft, which is a suspiciously low number given the purveyance of the problem. Meanwhile, over 1,955 power consumers have been booked for power theft and 21 arrested. Those booked include several elected officials, including at least one provincial minister and other high-profile names. The crackdown on consumers has seen over Rs164 million in fines imposed, but only Rs11 million has been collected so far. This is nothing when we consider that in the FY22, bill recovery was barely 80%.

Among the astounding nuggets from recently released government data and media reports is that 100% of consumers in four districts of K-P Bannu, DI Khan, Tank and Shangla dont pay any electricity bills, while around 90% people in Pasni, Gwadar, Makran, Khuzdar and Lorelai districts of Balochistan are also stealing electricity. It is thus unsurprising that Peshawar Electric Supply Company has been the biggest drain on the exchequer, losing 5.7 billion units worth Rs77 billion in one year. Several areas in other provinces also have relatively high theft rates. Unfortunately, the sluggishness of the actions taken in K-P reflects the lack of political will even in the supposedly apolitical caretaker set up to go the distance and cut off supply to areas where such widespread theft is taking place, meaning that law-abiding citizens will continue to pay various surcharges to cover for power pilferers.

Courtesy The Express Tribune