Curbing power theft: Campaign against illegal connections in full swing

Old Sukkur sub-division has 30,000 illegal connections, says official

SUKKUR: The ongoing operation against electricity defaulters in the old Sukkur sub-division has resulted in the recovery of Rs400,000 and the removal of hundreds of illegal connections and over two dozen tampered meters.

A team of the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco), led by executive engineer Raj Kumar, Sub-divisional officer (SDO) Ghulam Raza Abro and others raided Madina Colony, Regent Colony, Saleem Colony and other areas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

During the raids, the teams removed hundreds of illegal kundas, besides detecting tampering in more than two dozen meters. The team also recovered dues worth Rs400,000 on the spot from defaulters, said Sepco officials.

The chairman of the All Pakistan Wapda Labour Union's Old Sukkur sub-division chapter, Jawed Hussain Abbasi, and vice-chairman Aqeel Ahmed Dayo, who are taking an active part in the anti-power theft campaign, said they face strong resistance by those involved in power theft and sometimes even get attacked while on a recovery drive.

Dayo said it is alarming that in their sub-division, they have 12,000 legal connections and around 30,000 illegal ones.



'Police a hurdle'

Abbasi said even though the government has amended power theft laws to curb the practice, nothing seems to be working. A major hurdle is the police, he said, explaining that Sepco officials have to personally go to the police stations and ensure that the FIRs are registered against power thieves. "But due to the weak FIRs, people easily get bail from the court and once again indulge in power theft," he complained.



When asked about Sepco officials' connivance with power thieves, he said "No doubt, there are some black sheep in our ranks, but it is mostly private electricians who facilitate people in acquiring illegal connections."

Magisterial powers

SDO Abro said after detecting power theft in a particular area, they provide all the evidence to the police along with the names of the suspects but nothing happens. He claims a lot of the hurdles will be resolved if Sepco officers are given magisterial powers.

However, a head constable at the C-section police station, Irshad, said "We always cooperate with Sepco officials and place in the relevant sections of the law," adding that if the judges deem fit to grant bail to the suspects then the police cannot do anything.

Private electricians

Ali Mohammad, a local electrician, denied the allegations of power utility officials, saying some private electricians may be involved in facilitating power theft but mostly it is the nexus of Sepco staff and consumers that is behind the rampant illegal connections.

Another electrician, Qamar Din, admitted facilitating people in power theft, saying electricity is very costly and therefore a majority of the people could not afford to pay their bills.

Over-billing

Noor Mohammad, a resident of Saleem Colony, openly admitted using a kunda, justifying the illegality by saying that he could just not afford to pay the heavy bills. "Three years ago, I had an electric meter installed at my home but pretty soon I realised my mistake when I started receiving inflated bills," he narrated. In my meagre income, I could not afford the high bills so I stopped paying my dues and Sepco officials removed my meter, he explained, adding "I am now using electricity through a kunda without paying a single penny."

Shabbir Ahmed, a resident of Regent Colony, said "I live in a single-room house and don't even have a refrigerator or air conditioner but still received exorbitant electricity bills. Despite the anomaly, I paid my bills for two years but then had to stop."

He added that a kunda is the best solution for poor people like him, lamenting that in this country the well-off persons and big companies do not pay their utility bills and the poor are forced to bridge the gap.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2016.