High recovery rate areas to face less loadshedding

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s Task Force on power theft on Wednesday announced a significant reduction in loadshedding in areas where recovery efforts have been successful.

The decision was taken in the 2nd meeting of the force Presided by Muhammad Abid Majeed, additional chief secretary of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department, said a handout.

Secretaries, divisional commissioners, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) chief executive officer, deputy commissioners, and district police officers attended the meeting.

The participants were told that this operation had yielded remarkable results in just a short span of 15 days. Over 7,454 electricity connections involved in power theft were removed and fines and arrears amounting to over 150 million recovered.

Collectively, the Pesco, district administration, and the police conducted over 3,000 raids in various districts of the province, focusing on illegal power users. Cases were registered against 3,000 individuals, leading to the arrest of hundreds of them involved in this unlawful activity.

The Pesco officials said in the meeting that the procedure for arrears payments in instalments has been approved to facilitate the consumers. The meeting was informed that, after September 30, the Pesco would distribute 100,000 power meters, streamlining the electricity installation process for the consumers. The head of the Task Force, Muhammad Abid Majeed, stressed the need to maintain momentum in achieving recovery targets and controlling illegal power use.