PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company on Sunday carried out a major crackdown on power thieves and defaulters in many villages on the outskirts of Peshawar and disconnected power supply to hundreds of consumers by removing 40 power distribution transformers.

According to a Pesco spokesman, most of the people in the villages located along the Khyber tribal district, mainly in Mattani, Deh Bahadur, Landi Arbab and Badbher subdivisions used to get electricity through illegal connections and avoided paying the bills.

The Pesco had time and again issued warnings to the people to clear their dues and get power meters installed to pay monthly bills on regular basis but the dwellers did not pay attention.

It was stated that in compulsion the Pesco’s taskforce carried out the anti-theft operation and removed 280 direct illegal connections. Besides, the raiding parties removed 40 power distribution transformers. The connections of many commercial, industrial consumers and tube-wells were also cut on account of non-payment of dues.

The spokesman revealed that the line losses in the rural areas were above 90 per cent where the people had to pay dues worth millions of rupees.

During the operation, the Pesco officials also recovered dues from the defaulters. The campaign will continue unless the people pay the dues and avoided power theft.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2018