ISLAMABAD – Tightening the noose around the employees of the distribution companies involved in electricity theft, amid a deadline of eliminating electricity theft from the country by April 23, the federal government has deputed FIA teams in the distribution companies to identify and arrest such officers/officials.
To break the nexus between the employees of DISCOS with electricity thieves, the federal government has deputed FIA teams in five distribution companies of Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federal Discos. It is worth to note here that the government had already deputed FIA in two Discos of Sindh, and one in KP for the same purpose.
On the recommendation of concerned ADGs, FIA officers are attached with CEOs of DISCOS in the anti-theft and recovery campaign helping to eliminate illegal connivance of the officers/officials of respective DISCOs with consumers in electricity thefts, said a letter titled ‘strengthening management in distribution companies’ written by Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to Secretary Power Division. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Power Division Awais Leghari has also warned Discos to eliminate power thefts by April 23.
The copy of the letter seen by The Nation reveals that five deputy director level officers have been deputed in the Discos. According the letter, Deputy Directors FIA, Muhammad Afzal Khan Niazi, Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Zawar Manzoor, Abdul Hayee Khan, and Saeed Ahmed Memon will be deputed in Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), Gujranwala Electric Power Regulatory Authority (GEPCO), Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) and Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) respectively.
Additional Director General Anti-Corruption Wing (ACW) FIA HQ, Islamabad will be focal person to coordinate with the Ministry of Energy (Power Division).
Following the deputation of FIA teams in five Discos, the number of Discos with such arrangements have increased to eight. The government had earlier deputed FIA teams in Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) and Peshawar Electric Supply Company in order to identify and nab the Discos employees involved in electricity theft. The deputation also aimed to strengthening the management in these distribution companies. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Power, Awais Ahmed Leghari, issued instructions for immediate and stringent measures to combat the ongoing issue of electricity theft across Pakistan, said a statement issued here. Emphasizing the critical need to eradicate this illegal practice, Minister Leghari has set a decisive deadline of April 23 to eliminate all forms of electricity theft from the country’s power grid. In a letter, the minister tasked all Discos’ chairmen and CEOs with mobilizing their resources effectively to put an end to electricity theft. Additionally, he also instructed Superintendent Engineers, Executive Engineers, Sub-divisional Officers, and relevant field staff to issue certificates certifying the absence of theft in their respective operational areas to ensure a robust verification process. Notably, to meet its commitment with the IMF for reducing power sector losses and improve governance, the federal government had directed all the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the DISCOs to provide affidavit certifying that there is no theft on meters in their respective areas, and warned that providing incorrect information would result in dismissal from service.
