E-Paper
Theft of transformers: Bajwa seeks Punjab govt’s explanation
Bajwa said this huge loss to the PSPCL, which is already reeling under a heavy financial debt of nearly ₹18,000 crore, is alarming and shows lack of concern of the officials for the public property as well as the absence of corrective action by the government
Chandigarh : Leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday demanded an explanation from the Punjab government for the theft of 12,000 transformers in 2020-21 that caused a loss of ₹52.51 crore in the five zones of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).
Bajwa said this huge loss to the PSPCL, which is already reeling under a heavy financial debt of nearly ₹18,000 crore, is alarming and shows lack of concern of the officials for the public property as well as the absence of corrective action by the government. “It is still more worrisome to know that the menace of theft of properties of the PSPCL has become all the more serious as it has started costing the corporation ₹50 crore per annum,” he said in a statement.
The Congress leader said that apart from inconvenience to the public in general, it is also a big drain on the corporation laden with huge financial debts.
He said it appears that after a casual reaction to the theft and registration of an FIR, no steps are taken to go to the root cause of the problem. Besides 45,000-50,000 employees of the PSPCL, there is the vigilance wing of the corporation, presently headed by a DGP-rank officer with a large contingent of personnel under his supervision, and an establishment of anti-theft police stations across the state to check the crimes related to electricity theft and protection of properties of the PSPCL, he said.
The leader of opposition said that all this proves the lackadaisical approach of the officials of the corporation and raises a question mark on the working of the vigilance wing tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding the interests of the PSPCL.
