Shift in focus: Crackdown on gas, power theft runs out of steam
Since June, 3,933 criminal cases have been registered for causing Rs5.5b loss.
An official of the Lahore Electric Supply Company agreed that a big mafia including the company employees was involved in electricity theft in the city. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
A crackdown launched to catch people involved in gas and power theft is losing momentum as the task force, constituted for the purpose, has been asked to shift focus and control prices of essential food items, an official close to the development said.
The task force, equipped with evidence, is pressing power and gas supplying companies to follow theft cases in courts, but this is also one of the reasons that the number of raids against thieves has decreased.
Since June this year, 3,933 criminal cases including 3,311 of power theft and 622 of gas pilferage had been registered against 3,655 people, who caused a loss of Rs5.479 billion to the country, according to data available with The Express Tribune.
Interestingly, 16 lower-grade officers of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) were booked for abetting in the theft, but all upper-grade officers were left untouched, the official said.
On the other hand, power supplying companies had started departmental enquires into the conduct of 230 officers for negligence and abetting in theft, but no officer was booked, he said.
Each of these high-profile cases were related to electricity theft of above Rs500,000 and gas theft amounting to Rs1 million.
The cases were registered against owners of various factories, mills, hotels, plazas, poultry farms, bakeries, petrol pumps, agriculture tube wells, commercial centres and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations.
On June 26, the Punjab chief minister had constituted the task force, headed by secretary industries, commerce and investment to launch a campaign against electricity and gas theft.
Its members included chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board, joint director of the Intelligence Bureau, CEO of the Punjab Power Development Company, MD SNGPL, DIG Operations, DIG Special Branch, district coordination officer, city police officers of five districts, CEOs of Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan and Islamabad electricity supplying companies and general manager of Pepco.
Consequently, the police department constituted investigating teams in each region to launch and supervise investigation in all major cases of power and gas theft. The task force also formed committees at district and tehsil levels to conduct raids without any discrimination.
The committees conducted raids in 33 districts, except for Bakkar, Narowal and Rajanpur where gas is not available. Some 622 cases of gas theft were registered and 615 people were arrested. They were stealing Rs5.045 billion worth of gas.
“It was not possible to steal on such a large scale without the connivance of officers of the supplying company,” a senior SNGPL official commented but asked not to be named. “A mafia with the support of company officers was doing this nasty business and the management was helpless.”
In the case of electricity, the committees found 5,912 cases of theft in raids conducted from June to October. As a result, 3,311 criminal cases were registered and 3,040 people were arrested. In these cases, electricity theft was estimated at Rs437.12 million.
“Lack of indictment of company employees on the charge of theft has created doubts about the performance of the task force and investigating teams as it is impossible to indulge in gas and electricity theft on a big scale without the connivance of company staff,” a senior official of the task force said.
An official of the Lahore Electric Supply Company agreed that a big mafia including the company employees was involved in electricity theft in the city but they always managed to escape prosecution.
“We conducted raids without any discrimination to apprehend the accused. Now, we have to focus on prices of kitchen items, but are strictly monitoring the prosecution of cases registered against the thieves,” task force chairperson Irfan Ali said.
“It is true that the crackdown has been slow, but the task force has done a remarkable job to detect about Rs5 billion worth of gas and electricity theft in five months in the province.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2013.
A crackdown launched to catch people involved in gas and power theft is losing momentum as the task force, constituted for the purpose, has been asked to shift focus and control prices of essential food items, an official close to the development said.
The task force, equipped with evidence, is pressing power and gas supplying companies to follow theft cases in courts, but this is also one of the reasons that the number of raids against thieves has decreased.
Since June this year, 3,933 criminal cases including 3,311 of power theft and 622 of gas pilferage had been registered against 3,655 people, who caused a loss of Rs5.479 billion to the country, according to data available with The Express Tribune.
Interestingly, 16 lower-grade officers of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) were booked for abetting in the theft, but all upper-grade officers were left untouched, the official said.
On the other hand, power supplying companies had started departmental enquires into the conduct of 230 officers for negligence and abetting in theft, but no officer was booked, he said.
Each of these high-profile cases were related to electricity theft of above Rs500,000 and gas theft amounting to Rs1 million.
The cases were registered against owners of various factories, mills, hotels, plazas, poultry farms, bakeries, petrol pumps, agriculture tube wells, commercial centres and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations.
On June 26, the Punjab chief minister had constituted the task force, headed by secretary industries, commerce and investment to launch a campaign against electricity and gas theft.
Its members included chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board, joint director of the Intelligence Bureau, CEO of the Punjab Power Development Company, MD SNGPL, DIG Operations, DIG Special Branch, district coordination officer, city police officers of five districts, CEOs of Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan and Islamabad electricity supplying companies and general manager of Pepco.
Consequently, the police department constituted investigating teams in each region to launch and supervise investigation in all major cases of power and gas theft. The task force also formed committees at district and tehsil levels to conduct raids without any discrimination.
The committees conducted raids in 33 districts, except for Bakkar, Narowal and Rajanpur where gas is not available. Some 622 cases of gas theft were registered and 615 people were arrested. They were stealing Rs5.045 billion worth of gas.
“It was not possible to steal on such a large scale without the connivance of officers of the supplying company,” a senior SNGPL official commented but asked not to be named. “A mafia with the support of company officers was doing this nasty business and the management was helpless.”
In the case of electricity, the committees found 5,912 cases of theft in raids conducted from June to October. As a result, 3,311 criminal cases were registered and 3,040 people were arrested. In these cases, electricity theft was estimated at Rs437.12 million.
“Lack of indictment of company employees on the charge of theft has created doubts about the performance of the task force and investigating teams as it is impossible to indulge in gas and electricity theft on a big scale without the connivance of company staff,” a senior official of the task force said.
An official of the Lahore Electric Supply Company agreed that a big mafia including the company employees was involved in electricity theft in the city but they always managed to escape prosecution.
“We conducted raids without any discrimination to apprehend the accused. Now, we have to focus on prices of kitchen items, but are strictly monitoring the prosecution of cases registered against the thieves,” task force chairperson Irfan Ali said.
“It is true that the crackdown has been slow, but the task force has done a remarkable job to detect about Rs5 billion worth of gas and electricity theft in five months in the province.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2013.