Noose tightens around power pilferers

As protests against power bills rage across the country, Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatha has ordered a crackdown against power pilferers in the Rawalpindi division.

While presiding over a meeting, he said elements involved in the practice were doing harm to the country and its people which necessitated a zero-tolerance policy against violators.

He said electricity theft was relatively less in Rawalpindi as compared to the other divisions. He said that a list of electricity thieves had been compiled with the help of the special branch of the police.

The commissioner issued instructions to the deputy commissioners of the districts to take the lead along with Islamabad Electricity Supply Company (Iesco) officers to arrest the ‘big fishes’ or high-volume power pilferers.

The first phase will be against commercial customers after which domestic consumers would go under the microscope.

He said that a toll-free number should be provided to the public for complaints of electricity theft throughout the districts.

He further said that not only the public but also many officials of government institutions were involved in electricity theft with the people and the country bearing the brunt of this theft.

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi police have been ordered to assist the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and the Iesco in combating power pilfering and collecting electricity bills that have stirred rage among consumers.

According to sources, orders have been issued to immediately register cases, arrest the accused, and submit challans to the courts at the designated time.

More than 500 officers and personnel of Rawalpindi police are already performing their duties to ensure the security of Wapda and Iesco installations and offices.

As per sources, following the continued public outrage over the increase in power prices, the federal government was developing several plans to offer concessions to the public.

However, until then, strict orders have been issued to the Rawalpindi police regarding the crackdown against electricity thieves in light of the instructions from the federal and provincial governments.

Rawalpindi CPO Khalid Hamdani has sent a message to the divisional superintendents, sub-divisional police officers, and station house officers at the police station level and said that a plan has been made by the Ministry of Energy's Power Division to stop electricity theft. Therefore, a case should be registered immediately when a theft is reported.

CPO Hamdani told the officers that no FIR should be pending against electricity thieves in any police station. When complaints are made about power thieves, the accused should be taken into custody as quickly as possible.

Similarly, it was also mentioned in the letter that the police control room should get reports of daily operations against power thieves at 11pm.

Furthermore, all data must be concurrently posted to the Punjab police's online system.

It should be recalled that Iesco executives had requested assistance from the Rawalpindi police for the protection of their installations and workers when the public outcry over the rise in power costs began.

Gas connections

On the other hand, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has announced the formation of six special teams to curb gas theft in Rawalpindi.

Addressing a press conference, the SNGPL’s Mukhtar Shah stated that their teams were conducting raids in various areas, cutting connections involved in theft every month.

He said his teams had disconnected 542 illegal gas connections in Rawalpindi. Additionally, 155 compressors used to manipulate gas pressure had been seized, resulting in 11 cases being filed, he added.

Shah praised the cooperation of the police and other law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat gas theft. He highlighted that every meter reading helps identify theft, thanks to HHU readings.

Anyone found involved in gas theft within the department's workforce would be terminated from their job, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2023.