The Mandalay Region government has collected some K10 billion (US$6.50 million) in fines from illegal electricity users in 10 months, a senior regional official said.
U Zarni Aung, regional minister for Electricity, Energy and Construction, said the fines were collected from residential and business customers who had tampered with power meters from October 2018 to July 2019.
“We formed township and district teams to conduct surprise checks on electricity fraud,” he told parliament on Monday. “We monitored townships where there were huge power losses,” U Zarni Aung said.
The regional power company uses analog and digital meters to measure electricity usage, and the monthly reading of meters is done manually.
“In developed nations, an AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) system is used to collect meter information,” U Zarni Aung said. “By using AMI, power theft can be controlled.”
He added that the Ministry of Electricity and Energy is in the process of implementing the AMI system in other regions and states to minimise power losses.
MP U Kyaw Oo, a regional legislator, told U Zarni Aung that the government should also look into waste at some departments.
Source: Myanmar Times
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