Multan Electricity Power Company (Mepco) has intensified its drive against the 'power thieves' to minimise the losses, as per the instructions of Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco).
A Mepco newsletter revealed that as many as 52,000 electricity thieves were caught during a recent crackdown in the country and fine worth Rs 4 billion has been imposed on them, Managing Director Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Tahir Basharat Cheema said Thursday. He said Rs 2.75 billion have been recovered out of total Rs 4 billion dues and fines.
Cheema revealed that Peshawar, Quetta and Hyderabad electric supply companies have suffered most of the losses of transmission and distribution. Showing great concern over the rising line losses of power distribution companies (Discos), he urged the Discos to take urgent measures for controlling the escalating line losses, which causes huge power shortage, putting multiple negative impacts on the business activities. He observed that the inefficiency of these power distribution companies was causing a huge loss of Rs 35 to 40 billion per annum to the national exchequer, apart from affecting the national economy. Even 1 percent of the line loss was costing about Rs 1 billion to the national kitty, he added.
MD Pepco said, "We are taking some effective and far-reaching measures to make reduction in the line losses of Discos as part of its national agenda, because ever-increasing line losses were having a cyclical impact on our industrial, agricultural production and the gross domestic product."