Besides high inflation and price-hike, Pakistan is also confronted with the monster challenge of electricity theft, which is adversely affecting agriculture, the economy, and industrial and domestic consumers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The electricity theft either through direct hocks or tempering of meters has not only widened the demand-supply gap of electricity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also had negative effects on business and agriculture activities besides affecting educational institutes and hospitals in remote and far-flung areas such as Bannu, DI Khan, Lakki Marwat and rural Peshawar due to Kunda culture.
“Electricity is a social as well as an economic crime that is not only hampering the national economy but also has a negative effect on the agriculture production and industries’ exports,” said Zilakat Malik, former Chairman, of the Economics Department, University of Peshawar while talking to APP on Monday.
He said the energy theft techniques including meters tempering, direct hooks (illegal connections) from transmission lines, physical destruction of energy meters/poles, and fake billing are causing instability in prices of perishable and non-perishable goods in open markets due to shortfall in agriculture and industrial produce besides increase power’s circular debts.
Besides Pakistan, he said that about 102 countries in the world were confronted with the grave problem of energy theft due to poor electricity infrastructure, political and economic uncertainty, corruption, and the Kunda mafia. Citing reports, he said that electricity worth Rs380 billion had been stolen including Rs200 billion through direct hooks during 2022-23, and warned of Rs520 billion predicted electricity losses during the current fiscal year if decisive action has not been taken against black sheep in power distribution companies.—APP
