Chandigarh, September 8   Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO has given strict directions to the officials of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to carry out special checking across the state, to check power thefts in accordance with zero tolerance policy against corruption of Punjab Government under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Regular special checking are necessary

In a statement issued on Sunday, he reiterated that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government remains committed to promoting energy conservation and curbing power theft. He emphasized the need for regular special checks to prevent revenue losses for the government. Moreover, he noted that monitoring power thefts would not only address these losses but also enhance services for the state’s regular power consumers. Consequently, implementing these measures would benefit both revenue protection and service quality. The Minister asked the concerned PSPCL authorities to provide him reports on daily basis about checking. He categorically stated that officials should check all power connections, including domestic, commercial, agricultural, and industrial. He categorically stated that there should not be any kind of laxity in checking of power connections and providing reports on daily basis.

Power thefts: Authorities will spare no one.

He stated that PSPCL/PSTCL officials involved in power theft, directly or indirectly, would face severe consequences. Any such official will be terminated immediately according to PSPCL rules, and legal action will be taken. He instructed the Distribution and Enforcement Teams to follow his directives precisely or prepare for strict action. The Minister said he will personally monitor everything and review the reports submitted by the officials. He directed to impose penalty and register FIRs against those found indulging into thefts of power. He categorically stated that power theft is as serious as corruption and that no one involved in this “corruption” would be spared at any cost.

Authorities checked 81,262 connections

He noted that the Distribution and Enforcement Wings of PSPCL have performed remarkably in checking power connections and detecting thefts during recent state-wide drives. Furthermore, he reported that authorities have already inspected a total of 81,262 connections to date. Additionally, these ongoing efforts are consistently yielding significant results in curbing power theft. They detected thefts in these connections and imposed a penalty of approximately Rs. 13.30 Crore on the defaulters. Providing zone-wise details, the Minister noted that in the Border Zone Amritsar, authorities checked 27,285 connections. They detected thefts in 989 cases and imposed a penalty of Rs. 3.01 Crore.

Power Thefts : Detected in 1,116 cases and penalty of Rs. 2.47 Crores was imposed

He reported that in the West Zone Bathinda, officials checked 6,079 connections and detected thefts in 872 cases, imposing a penalty of Rs. 3.03 Crores. In the North Zone Jalandhar, officials checked 10,718 connections, detected thefts in 741 cases, and imposed a penalty of Rs. 1.25 Crores. In the Central Zone Ludhiana, officials checked 10,699 connections, detected thefts in 707 cases, and imposed a penalty of Rs. 2.43 Crores. In the South Zone Patiala, officials checked 18,096 connections, detected thefts in 1,116 cases, and imposed a penalty of Rs. 2.47 Crores.