In the past six years, Punjab residents have stolen power worth Rs 6,000 crore, which is equal to the annual state government subsidy for farmers and BPL families. On an average, Punjab residents have been stealing power worth between Rs 1,000-1,200 crore annually with Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts leading the chart.
Sources said rural residents are ahead of their urban counterparts in the “power loot”, accounting for around 66 per cent of the theft through concealed devices, capacitors, ‘kundis’ or meter-tampering. “The sad part is that even wealthy families steal power and run to local politicians when raided. Our teams are attacked and gheraoed by villagers as they know they have political backing,” said a top official.
