Discoms unable to control high incidence of power theft in Haryana

The management of the discoms from time to time take efforts to reduce the losses to minimum.

The major means used for theft is tampering of meters by the consumers and unauthorised tapping.

The state government was in the process of deciding to set up special police stations to tackle the problems of theft.
DP correspondent

Chandigarh

As the power distribution companies (Discoms) suffer substantial commercial losses due to theft of energy, the management of the distribution companies from time to time take efforts to reduce the losses to minimum. The major means used for theft is tampering of meters by the consumers and unauthorised tapping or hooking by the non-consumers. As per Section 135 of Electricity Act, 2003, theft of energy is an offence punishable under the Act. The particulars of checking carried out, theft cases noticed, assessed amount and amount realised indicates that percentage of checking of connections had decreased in Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (UHBVNL) from 10. 38 per cent in 2006-07 to 5.80 in 2010-11 and in Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVNL) from 6.62 in 2006-07 to 5.29 in 2010-11.

The checking of consumers remained dismally low and ranged from 0.14 per cent to 0.29 per cent and 0 .06 per cent to 0 .09 per cent of total number of consumers in UHBVNL and DHBVNL respectively in the same period of 2006-07 to 2010-11. The management of UHBVNL stated that shortage of manpower was one the reasons for low checking.

Whereas the special Secretary, Power stated that government was in the process of deciding to set up special police stations to tackle the problems of theft and recovery of dues. The officials of UHBVNL defended that the company faces extremely hostile conditions during theft detection drives. Whereas the facts indicate otherwise as on an average three to four such incidents occur against average of 12, 000 connections checked in a month. In this regard, DHBVNL stated in that recovery of dues was affected in view of court orders and financial position of consumers.

The lack of coordination between vigilance wing formed to carry out the raids and the departmental officer of the discoms also aggravated the problems. In order to minimise the cases of pilferage or loss of energy and to save the discoms from sustaining heavy financial losses on account of this account, Section 163 of Electricity Act, 2003 provides that the licensee may enter in the premises of a consumer for inspection and testing the apparatus.

Vigilance teams of discoms under the control of Additional Director General of Police were entrusted with the work of conducting raids by checking the premises of the consumers with assistance of departmental officer of the discoms concerned. Engineers of the division concerned were to prepare work plan to conduct raids by identifying such consumers or areas where large scale theft was suspected. The lack of co-ordination between the vigilance team and officials added to the financial woes of the DISCOMs. “In order to be more effective and to reduce the theft of energy, the number of raids are required to increase,” said an official of the company who did not wish to be quoted.