ELECTRICITY theft, a major reason in the wake of the punishing heatwave, not only results in the rise of unbearable loadshedding but also hinders the entire process of sustainable economic growth. Resultantly, prolonged power outages during hot and humid weather have caused more than 1000 people to lose their lives.

However, various committees have pointed at corrupt practices regarding consumption and distribution: the ‘kunda’ system, contractible bills, overconsumption, embezzlement and mismanagement. These corrupt elements inflicted a loss of Rs90bn to the national exchequer during the previous fiscal year.

In this regard, Sindh has been following Balochistan in power malpractices with its recovery ratio as low as 30 to 50 per cent.

Siraj Udho

Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2015

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