The Pakistan Army is set to assume the supervision of loss-making Distribution Companies (Discos) to tackle the pervasive issue of electricity theft and losses.
The Pakistan Army is set to assume the supervision of loss-making Distribution Companies (Discos) to tackle the pervasive issue of electricity theft and losses. The government has pledged stern action against power thieves while aiming to enhance the recovery of electricity bills.
According to reports from The News, a serving brigadier, accompanied by officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), will spearhead the Performance Monitoring Units (PMUs) across all loss-making Discos.
This dedicated monitoring team will be tasked with identifying corrupt elements within the Discos, including those aiding and abetting electricity theft. The officials will possess the authority to take decisive actions against the perpetrators.
Secretary Power affirmed, saying, “We have developed a strategy, but higher authorities still need to approve it. But the senior officials of Power Division have decided to begin executing the HESCO (Hyderabad Electric Supply Company) plan as a test project.”
The primary objective of this initiative is to uncover unscrupulous elements contributing to the theft of electricity, resulting in substantial financial losses to the national exchequer.
Data from the financial year 2020-21 reveals concerning figures for the recovery of electricity bills in various Discos. HESCO recorded a 73.7% recovery, SPECO at 64.6%, QESCO at 34.66%, and TESCO at 25.29%. These numbers underscore the urgency of addressing the issue to improve the financial health of the power sector.
The caretaker energy minister, on September 6, outlined a comprehensive crackdown plan on electricity thieves. He highlighted that the power system annually incurs colossal losses due to electricity theft and unpaid bills, amounting to Rs589 billion.
As of September 6 this year, the total losses in relatively better-performing Discos such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, and Islamabad stood at 79 billion units, equivalent to a loss of Rs100 billion out of a billing total of Rs3,044 billion, estimated at 3%. Conversely, Discos in Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Quetta, Azad Jammu and Kashmir experienced losses as high as 60%.
However, in the case of loss-making companies like HESCO, SEPCO, QESCO, and TESCO, the anticipated results are not being achieved. Hence, the decision has been made to place Performance Monitoring Units under the supervision of a serving brigadier, supported by personnel from FIA and IB.