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For Ludhiana cops, it’s a steal...
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 29
The ratio of good and bad cops in the Jamalpur Police Colony here is 50:50. Half live by stolen power.

That’s what a special raid by the Punjab State Electricity Board uncovered last night.

The steal has been going on for many months now. Faced with the long arm of the law, PSEB officials are at their wits' end. The cops just aren't giving up.

Sample this: the board thought if it took power out of the cops' homes, it might help. It did not. Meters installed outside the houses had soon their locks broken.

Meter-boxes were then affixed on pillars far away from the houses to check tampering. The keys were with junior engineers. The violators were clearly not amused. These were also broken.

May be, this time, the ubiquitous lathi was used with the force it is associated with.

Deputy chief engineer H S Randhawa says some of the policemen are even using air conditioners on “unaccounted” power supply.

What next?

The board does not know for sure. It is thinking of penalising offenders, with a little help from the city SSP, who has been requested to register a case against his erring men.

What the board knows for sure is that power thefts bleed it white especially during summer days. Also that thefts up the electricity cost because the board does not get full returns for the power it supplies.

But, trying telling that to freeloaders of Jamalpur Colony...

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