Sahiwal stands out with 99% utility charge recovery rate. Four districts of Punjab have the highest power theft and low recovery rates where non-recovery of power is more than a tenth of the utility supplied.
The four districts with the highest power theft rates include Kasur with a power theft/non-receipt rate of 16 percent, followed by Rajanpur at 14 percent, Okara at 13 percent, and Rahim Yar Khan at 12 percent. In Sahiwal, this ratio is only one percent.
Federal Secretary for Power Rashid Mehmood Langrial shared the map through his X handle. The mapping is done on the basis of data for the financial year 2022-23.
Secretary Langriyal said that in the financial year 2022-23 we have collected 2319 billion rupees and there was a loss of 134 billion rupees in Punjab. Out of 134 billion, we lost more than half (69 billion) in four districts. Out of 2319 billion we collected more than half (1211 billion) from six districts.
According to the map, the highest were Lahore with Rs 436 billion, Faisalabad with Rs 251 billion, Rawalpindi with Rs 145 billion, Gujranwala with Rs 140 billion, Sheikhupura with Rs 131 billion and Multan with Rs 108 billion.
The power division has mapped all the districts of the most populous province where seven districts have a theft/non-recovery rate of three percent. These include Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Leh and Multan.
In six districts, the non-recovery rate remains at four percent. These include Khushab, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Toba Tek Singh, Bahawalnagar, and Bahawalpur. In Gujarat and Chakwal, the theft rate is 5%.
The proportion of electricity theft in Lahore, Attock, Jhelum, Jhang, Nankana Sahib, Khanewal and Muzaffargarh is six percent. Similarly in Mianwali, Hafizabad, Wahari, Lodhran, and Dera Ghazi Khan, the rate of theft/non-recovery is seven percent. Eight percent in Sheikhupura and Pakpattan, nine percent in Bhakkar.
It should be noted that 198.4 billion rupees have been collected since the beginning of the campaign against power theft of the federal government. Secretary Power Division said that the main objective is to prevent electricity theft and promote timely bill payment.
This has led to the imprisonment of large defaulters, which has changed public attitudes towards unpaid electricity usage. The campaign is ongoing, with improvements expected by October 15. The CEO of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) was fired, and several employees were arrested or suspended.
Over 28,000 FIRs were registered in the last month, leading to around 14,000 arrests across all state-run power distribution companies. Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) had the highest number of FIRs and arrests. The recovery figures from various companies are noteworthy, with Lesco leading at Rs 4.77 billion.
