Lawmakers Demand National Meter Theft Inventory and Oversight

Deputies Erich Grohs and Germán Verdugo of the National Liberal Party (PNL) have urged the Minister of Public Security, Martín Arrau, to initiate a national inventory of stolen basic service meters. They also requested oversight measures be sent to all regions to assess the territorial impact of these thefts. This parliamentary initiative stems from numerous citizen complaints and a recent, widely shared incident of meter theft near the Talca Municipality. The deputies aim to determine if the stolen components are being resold in informal markets or through legitimate businesses, emphasizing the need for greater traceability in their commercialization. To achieve this, they announced plans to formally request information from the Ministry of Public Security, the regional secretariat (Seremi) of the Maule Region, and the relevant utility companies. The goal is to understand the scope of the problem and implement measures to curb the rising trend of meter theft.