Punjab engineers want special courts to curb power thefts
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 15
The Engineers working in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) have reacted to the claims made by the PSPCL authorities that steps were being taken to prevent power theft in the state. Engineers have asserted that the efforts of the PSPCL would bring desired results only when special courts are set up for the speedy trial of the power theft cases.

HS Bedi, president of the PSEB Engineers Association, said one of the reasons for poor financial health of power utilities was the failure to eradicate the menace of theft of energy.

“In Gujarat, it is mandatory to lodge an FIR in case of theft of energy in the police stations and such cases are handled by special courts for speedy trails. No political pressure to bail out these culprits is entertained. Although, Punjab has set up electricity theft police stations but due to absence of special courts, the conviction rate is nil,” claimed Bedi.

Speaking to The Tribune, another power expert and chairman of the All-India Power Engineers Federation, Padamjit Singh, said, “ The Gujarat Governmentis exemplary as they have ensured that for theft of power case, an FIR is compulsory with stringent rules. But in Punjab, during election time politicians are known to make promises that if they are voted to power, they will ensure that there will be no checking against theft of power in their constituency.”

Padamjit, who is also former PSEB chief engineer, said, “In Punjab, influential politicians give verbal instructions that there should be minimum or no checking for theft of electricity in their constituency. By this populist measure, they give a free hand for theft of power.”

He said, vide a recent amendment, the Electricity Act 2003 was stringent on theft clauses. He said, “But these will remain on paper only, if the state government doesn’t adopt a serious approach towards this issue and politicians continue to patronise power thieves in order to garner votes for them.”