Buckling up against power thieves

By
Editor's Mail
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5
149

As the summer arrives, the ratio of stealing electricity substantially increases. To stay cool during hot weather, people use air conditioners in their homes or at workplaces. These ACs though a boon in the hot weather display an uncommon increase in electricity bills. In addition, electrical equipment used in houses also boosts electricity consumption. To avoid the exorbitant bill, many a people resort to illegal ways of acquiring electricity by means of hook connections (kundas).

Kunda culture is an easy way out for the power thieves but we-the honest consumers have to bear the brunt of their maligning act in the form of prolong load-shed or abrupt power outage.

In my opinion, we as a nation have become so stubborn in our ways that leniency and warnings have no effect on us. There is dire need of taking stringent action against power thieves. People who use hook connections need to be punished and it’s the only solution by which power theft can be controlled and eliminated from the society.

Considering the gravity of this issue, K-Electric was one of the first power utilities who initiated the anti-theft campaign ‘Operation Burq’ last year. According to the media reports, many culprits were apprehended and several illegal connections had been removed during this operation. It was a welcoming change for the legitimate consumers.

Following last year, this year once again, the power entity has buckled up against power thieves while expediting its operation around the city prior to summer. In the light of Operation Burq many other state-run power utilities have also initiated anti-theft campaigns against offenders. The good thing is that the government has also amended the electricity act this year and declared power theft as non-bailable offence.

With all these developments, I am hopeful that we might see an end to power theft across the country in years to come.

SHAMAILA ABDULLAH

Karachi

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5 COMMENTS

  2. It is extremely easy to trace which properties the hook is feeding, one does not need degree in electrical engineering or power distribution; you don't need test and measurement instruments, you don't have to be intelligent. Pure and simple common sense and a pair of eyes with or with out glasses is all you need. If it is that easy, why is there still such high power theft? The answer is very very simple, it is a mega corruption money earner for WAPDA employees, from petty meter reader right down to engineers and management top brass with the minister getting his own due and sacred share. Corruption and robbing the state has become a legitimate and time honoured business in Pakistan. Ethics morals and human virtues have been rendered as useless, unnecessary and futile burden, they have neither meaning nor purpose, they simply get you nowhere.

    • You are right Mr. Riaz. A clear example is the open case of electricity minister Mr. Raja of the last PPP regime who soon after he became Wapda minister, bought two costly flats in London and explained in a TV show later that his brothers had great businesses running in England and they had afforded money for those flats. What a convenient excuse! If that was so, why did not he buy those flats before taking charge of Wapda?

  3. Well I am very sorry to say electric power bills should be very minimum, its the who bank and Rothschild’s family whom we are all paying with high energy bills!

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