ISLAMABAD: Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has recovered Rs 200 million from power thieves after registering more than 20,000 first information reports (FIRs) against them from 2013 to 2022, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastagir told Senate on Tuesday.
In a written reply to the question of Bahramand Khan Tangi, he said Pesco has taken various steps to control power theft and eradication of direct hooks. Three Pesco Police Stations have been established to control the menace.
A Task Force has also been established for eradication of direct hooks. In the last three years more than 70,000 consumers have been converted from hooks, tempered meters, sluggish meters to metered supply of electricity, he said.
Giving details of FIRs registered in last three years, he said a total of 3,126 FIRs were registered against power thieves in 2018, followed by 2001 in 2019 and 4,488 in 2020.
Sharing details of quantum of electricity lost due to the theft/illegal connections (administrative loss) in the jurisdiction of Pesco during last three years, he said adding Pesco endured 16.16 percent losses in 2018-19, 18.93 percent during 2019-20, 18.25 percent in 2020-21 and 17.62 percent in 2022.
