SANDAKAN, Feb 24 — Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) lost RM1,972,149 due to illegal electricity supply connections in Sandakan last year.

Its Distribution Division general manager, Addie Ahmad said Sandakan was among the districts with the biggest number of colonies resorting to illegal power supply connections in Sabah at 33 involving 2,293 premises out of 200 colonies.

"The Integrated Operation Against IIlegal Connections is conducted periodically but the SESB also carries out the operation whenever needed.

"This is based on the evaluation made by the monitoring team on the quiet while paying serious attention to the problem of illegal connections and electric current overload,” he told reporters during an integrated operation at the Kampung Disayang squatter settlement, here, today.

Addie said the illegal act usually involved one main electric wire connected to 10 to 20 houses, causing increasing electric current load and heating up the main wire.

He said the illegal connections could cause not only electric shocks but also fire outbreaks.

"I urge that the residents not resort to this action but to apply for electricity supply from SESB. However, they must first seek approval from the local authority like the status of the land and obtain the relevant documents,” he added.

But according to Addie, the residents have not done the necessary due to the status of the land ownership, the areas being squatter settlements and the problem of not having citizenship documents as many of them are foreign migrants.

Sixty-five personnel from SESB, the Energy Commission, Immigration Department, Sandakan Municipal Council and police were involved in the operation where 432 kilogrammes of electric wire were seized from four colonies, namely, Kampung Tabah Baru, Kampung Disayang, Kampung Chendramata and Kampung Lupak Meluas Darat. — Bernama