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Dhaka Friday,  Mar 29, 2024

New Draft Law Submitted In JS To Raise Punishment For Electricity Theft

EB Report

The draft of the Electricity Bill, 2017, was placed in the Jatiya Sangsad which includes a prolonged provision for illegal usage of electricity and guidance for improvement of the power generation, transmission, distribution system and the overall service quality.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid placed the bill in the JS on Tuesday.

The bill was then sent to the concerned parliamentary standing committee to verify it and asked to report back within next 30 working days.

This proposed draft bill is a rectification to the existing Electricity Act, 1910. According to the new bill, a new state-run agency will be formed to maintain the country’s power sector.

According to the new bill, a provision of three-year imprisonment or Taka two times more than the value of the stolen electricity or Taka 50 thousand will be fined if anybody is found involved in electricity pilferage in residential areas. The fine was 10 thousand in the previous act.

The proposed bill also has clause to bring the power sector officials under jurisdiction and punishment if they found guilty in electricity pilferage, which was not present in the previous law.

There is another clause saying a highest 10 years of imprisonment and up to 10 crore of fine if anyone is found sabotaging any power plant.

Some of the clauses of the new bill are like the followings-

A provision of three-year imprisonment or Taka two times more than the value of the stolen electricity or Taka 50 thousand will be fined if anybody is found involved in electricity pilferage in residential areas.

If anyone uses any device or machine for electricity theft, he/she will be imprisoned for 3 years or fined 5 lacs taka or both, which was 20 thousand taka in the previous act.

The bill says, the fine for electricity theft is 5 years of jail or 2 fold amount of bill or up to 5 lacs fine in the case of industrial usage.

The new bill proposes a 5 lacs taka fine or 5 years of imprisonment of power dissipation.

The provision for stealing electric equipment is a penalty of 2-5 years of imprisonment or 50 thousand to 5 lacs taka.

The provision for any illegal occupier of electric equipment and line is a penalty of up to 2 years of imprisonment or a fine of 50 thousands taka or both.

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