DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Power and PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Monday announced the successful completion of a two-day statewide checking drive aimed at detecting power theft and promoting energy conservation. He said the drive resulted In the inspection of 50,781 power connections, detection of power theft in 3,349 cases, and imposition of penalties worth Rs 7.66 crore.

Revealing this in a press communique issued here, the Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said that on Sunday, the second day of the drive, the Distribution and Enforcement wing of Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCL) inspected 22,288 power connections, detecting 1,274 cases of power theft and imposing penalties amounting to Rs 3.02 crore on erring consumers. He stated that the series of random checks will continue in the future too to eradicate power theft altogether.

The Power Minister said that the Distribution Wing of PSPCL achieved significant results across various zones in the state throughout the two-day drive. He said that South Zone (Pataiala), Central Zone (Ludhiana), North Zone (Jalandhar), Border Zone (Amritsar) and West Zone (Bathinda) collectively witnessed inspection of 42,396 connections, detecting theft in 3073 cases and imposition of panelities worth Rs 6.68 crore.

Disclosing further, the Minister said that the Enforcement Wing of PSPCL also played a crucial role in the drive, inspecting 8,385 connections, detecting power theft in 276 cases, and imposing penalties worth Rs 1.18 crore during its statewide campaign.

"The Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is committed to promoting energy conservation and curbing power theft. The successful completion of this two-day checking drive is a testament to our efforts. I urge all power consumers to use electricity judiciously and report any instances of power theft," said Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO.
(editor@dailyworld.in)