Ministry working to curb power theft

The Ministry of Energy is making all-out efforts to control electricity theft in far-flung areas of the country and measures are being taken in a systematic manner, said Minister for Energy Omar Ayub.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy (Power Division) on Monday, Ayub told participants that an anti-theft drive had been under way for the past two years.

Referring to the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill 2019, the minister said it would authorise officers of grade-17 and above to take cognisance of an offence. He stressed that provincial governments should play their due role in curbing the theft of electricity. The committee expressed reservations about another bill titled “The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2020,” keeping in view the procedure of tariff determination. In that regard, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) was asked to submit the procedure in writing.

The minister told the committee that unbudgeted subsidies in the circular debt were a major concern of the present government, which needed to be addressed through a uniform tariff and by giving powers of collecting surcharge from consumers to the distribution companies.

Committee Chairman MNA Chaudhry Salik Hussain praised the intent of bills but deferred decision on them till the next meeting on the request of committee members. He directed the energy ministry to address queries of committee members.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2020.

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