Ludhiana: At 16k, PSPCL records surge in power thefts

Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has reported a significant rise in power theft cases in Ludhiana district this year. By the end of September, the corporation detected 16,111 cases of power theft, nearly double the 8,887 cases recorded during the same period in 2023.
An official familiar with the matter revealed that the PSPCL has recovered ₹13.63 crore as fine so far this year, compared to ₹9.88 crore collected during the same period last year. “The data for October and November is still being compiled. The report for the previous month is usually completed in the last days of the current month,” he noted.
As per the accessed data, the PSPCL has inspected more than 1.01 lakh power connections across the central zone this year, marking a 10% increase from last year’s 92,352 inspections.
Most of the offences have been recorded in Khanna where 4,783 theft cases have been reported, followed by the city west circle (4,175 cases). Other regions, such as suburban circle and city east circle have also seen significant incidents.
Notably, Khanna has emerged as the hotspot for theft detection with 3,381 cases found. Areas like Janta Nagar and Sunder Nagar follow with 2,091 and 1,711 cases respectively.
In terms of fine, the city west circle comprising areas like Model Town and Aggar Nagar tops the list, contributing to the ₹ 4.83 crore recovered, followed closely by city east circle at ₹4.56 crore and suburban circle at ₹2.48 crore.
In response, Jagdev Singh Hans, chief engineer of central zone, cited that PSPCL’s enforcement and distribution teams conduct weekly raids to crack down on these illegal activities and impose fines on violators.”