Owing to the negligence of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), thousands of residents of the federal capital are involved in electricity theft through illegal connections, commonly known as ‘kundas, causing a huge financial loss to the national kitty.
Source in IESCO told Pakistan Today that the high-ups of the power distribution company were deliberately not taking action against the electricity thieves, as they collected a large money (described as bhatta in local language) on a monthly basis from the residents of slums against power theft through their trusted subordinates. Most of the people involved in the criminal act are living in the slums. According to an estimate, there are around 17 slums in the federal capital where most of them are getting power supply using kundas.
During a visit conducted by Pakistan Today of some of these slums, it was observed that the residents had connected kundas with the main power lines. And ironically, the so-called elite living near these areas are not an exception, as most of them use kundas to get electricity for their high-voltage appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and irons. As per the Capital Development Authority (CDA) bylaws, the localities have no legal status and the residents have not yet get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the CDA for electricity connections. Some senior citizens expressed their grave concern over the failure to stop power pilferage in a city like Islamabad.
Talking to Pakistan Today, a senior member of Islamabad Citizens Committee Khalil Sufi said most of the people in the slums were the employees of CDA and they should be given a legal status. He said the CDA should establish apartments for these poor employees and provide legal electricity connections. It was just unacceptable that the authorities concerned were not taking action against the power thieves despite the fact that severe power shortage had made the lives of general public, businessmen and the industrialists miserable all over the country, he added.
Sources in the IESCO said the power pilferage was causing a huge loss to the company but it was finding it difficult to handle the situation. They said only four of the slum areas had been regularised and their residents were paying bills on the basis of joint-billing system which, he said, too was problematic for the company. They said despite many attempts no one could stop locals from power pilferage. “Although the IESCO was ready to give them legal connections, the CDA was unwilling to issue the NOCs,” the sources added.
The residents of Essa Colony told Pakistan Today that they had been living there for the last 25 years and despite they could not get the power connections assurances from consecutive governments. “We have to steal electricity since it is now a basic need because of hot weather and mosquitoes,” said Sohail, a resident of another slum. Ramzan Sajid, a spokesman for the CDA, said the civic body could not issue an NOC to any illegal settlement, adding that the IESCO had also provided many electricity connections without the required procedure.
He claimed that some political elements were creating hurdles in taking any action against those illegal settlements.
