The Power Division has recovered almost Rs3.42 billion during a countrywide power theft crackdown from October 29 to November 5, taking the overall recoveries to over Rs36 billion, it was learnt on Friday. To minimize the losses in the power sector, the caretaker government and military leadership of the country in September decided to launch a countrywide crackdown on power thieves. Pakistan has so far recovered Rs36 billion fines during a countrywide crackdown on the power pilfers while overall 26,157 people have been taken into custody from September 1 till date.

As per details shared by the Power Division, Rs3.42 billion have been recovered from defaulters from 29 October to November 5, while over 336 people were arrested during the crackdown. Rs1.34 billion was recovered during the crackdown in Punjab and Islamabad, while Rs1.40 billion from Sindh during the countrywide crackdown. From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rs0.49 billion were recovered in terms of fine from the electricity pilfers. Rs0.19 billion were recovered from Balochistan during October 22 to 29, the power division said.

On October 18, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Mardan was declared loadshedding-free city under the “Zero-Theft, Zero-Loadshedding” initiative launched by the power division. Mardan had been facing power outages for more than six hours a day. Secretary Power Division Rashid Langrial launched “The Mardan Model” in Islamabad, under which there would be no loadshedding in the city as the power theft has ended and recoveries have also improved in the region. With this Mardan has become Pakistan’s first power theft-free city.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)