Amendment to Electricity Act: Power theft to become non-bailable offence

Rigorous imprisonment and fines worth millions proposed for those involved in pilferage.

ISLAMABAD:

After failing to control the theft and leakages of electricity, the government has decided to make power theft a non-bailable act and has also proposed high penalties and rigorous imprisonment for those involved in the pilferage.

In this regard, Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar introduced a bill in the National Assembly on Monday to further amend the Electricity Act 1910.

According to the bill, a minimum of one-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs1 million have been proposed for consumers involved in power theft. The maximum is seven-year imprisonment and Rs10 million penalty.



The bill proposes imprisonment for three years or a fine of up to Rs10 million or both for consumer using or consuming electricity without
it passing through the electric metre or willfully tampering with service lines, electric supply lines or transmission facilities of electric power.

Power consumers tampering with auxiliary or distribution of electric power will face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine up to Rs3 million or both.



Strict punishment has also been proposed for domestic consumers. Those involved in tampering with electric metres or illegally connecting metres with an electric line could face imprisonment for up to one year or be charged with a Rs1 million-fine.

Industrial, commercial and agriculture sector consumers will also face strict imprisonment for up to three years or a fine up to Rs6 million for involvement in tampering with the electric metre.

A rigorous imprisonment for seven years and a Rs3 million fine has been proposed for consumers involved in damaging or destroying transmission lines, distribution lines and electric meters.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2012.