PESCO Orders Disconnection of Transformers Over Power Theft, Unpaid Bills

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) has announced a major crackdown targeting widespread electricity theft and severe bill defaults across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, deciding to disconnect power supply directly at the transformer level for defaulting areas. The decisive policy shift aims to curb mounting financial losses and enforce strict compliance across the province’s power distribution network.

According to PESCO Chief Executive Officer Akhtar Hameed Khan, the power distribution utility will no longer rely solely on individual consumer disconnections, which have historically proven difficult to enforce. Under the new directive, entire distribution transformers supplying electricity to high-default neighborhoods and areas with rampant line losses or illegal hooks will be disconnected until outstanding arrears are cleared. Khan emphasized that utility teams have been deployed province-wide with explicit instructions to eliminate electricity theft and recover millions of rupees in unpaid consumer bills without compromise.

The aggressive measure highlights the severe structural and financial crisis plaguing Pakistan’s energy sector, where circular debt and non-recovery of utility bills routinely jeopardize power grid sustainability. While PESCO officials contend that bulk transformer disconnections are necessary to force collective accountability and protect revenue, local consumer rights groups worry the policy could temporarily penalize paying consumers living on shared transformer networks, potentially escalating social tension in high-loss districts.

In response, PESCO leadership assured the public that field teams are coordinating closely with district administrations and law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order during the operation. The power utility has urged all defaulted consumers to immediately settle their outstanding dues or face prolonged power outages, warning that illegal connections will also result in immediate criminal registration and heavy financial penalties under anti-theft laws.