ISLAMABAD: The Senate unanimously passed on Friday the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2015, amending the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1898.

The bill tabled by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was aimed at curbing incidents of electricity theft.

According to the statement of objects and reason, the Ministry of Water and Power is faced with a situation whereby recoveries made by distribution companies (Discos) from consumers are inadequate to meet the cost of electricity generation.

As a result, the government has to provide subsidy, especially to those Discos where leakage, pilferage and theft are rampant. This phenomenon primarily emanates from fragile legal and enforcement structure.

About two million incidents of electricity theft were reported in the financial year 2012-13, against which 23,000 FIRs were registered and only three convictions made.

At present offenses, penalties and procedure in relation to electricity theft are provided in the Electricity Act, 1910. But this mechanism is weak and has not resulted in any significant recovery or deterrence.

Moreover, 4,000 of the 7,800 distribution feeders in the national grid (except K-Electric) suffer a loss of more than the standard figures (0-10pc), which is a large percentage when seen in the context of the consumer base of 22m. A situation has arisen where about 15 billion units of electricity have been lost in 2012-13, of which at least 25-40pc is considered to be lost due to outright theft which amounts to Rs90m.

“There is thus an urgent need to rectify the present situation that the Ministry of Water and Power finds itself in,” the statement of objects and reason says.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2016