Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, July 10

In the past 10 years, as many as 558 electricity transformers have been stolen in the Badal division. However, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has failed to recover even a single transformer to date. Thieves usually dismantle a transformer and sell its copper and oil in the open market.

As per the information gathered under the RTI Act, 479 transformers were stolen from the area coming in Muktsar district and 79 from Bathinda. A transformer of 10kv costs about Rs 40,000. It means in the past one decade, transformers worth about Rs 2 crore have been stolen in the area.

Sanjay Singla, Additional Superintending Engineer, PSPCL, Badal division, said the FIR was registered for every single theft.

Notably, farmers in the past have lodged protests against the unabated transformer thefts. “The thefts increase in winters during foggy nights. Most of the transformers are installed in the fields and thieves take an advantage of it as nobody is there at night,” said some farmers.

A senior police officer said that they had told the scrap dealers to inform them if someone came to sell the shell of transformer or any part of it.