Schools lose dozens of solar panels to theft in Punjab

Incidents of solar panel theft from government schools in Punjab during 2022 and 2023 have come to light, ARY News reported on Sunday.

According to details, following revelations of widespread thefts, the Punjab Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed police to investigate the matter.

The report highlighted that in Rajanpur alone, solar panels were stolen from 50 schools during 2022–23. The committee expressed serious concern over the issue.

The PAC-III meeting, chaired by Tanveer Aslam Malik, stressed that District Police Officers (DPOs) of the affected districts will be issued strict letters regarding their failure to prevent such incidents. Malik further criticized the Education Department for refusing to take responsibility, instead shifting the blame onto the District Health Authority.

The committee instructed that a detailed inquiry be conducted to determine the number of schools affected and the extent of recovery, if any.

The Education Department, in its response, stated that FIRs had been registered regarding the thefts, but no recovery has been made to date. It admitted that the District Education Authority failed in safeguarding the solar panels.