Alarmed by mounting line losses and no let-ups in power theft, the power discom Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) has started a crackdown.
PVVNL chief engineer Virendra Nath Singh said the discom regularly inspects meters of heavy load connections. “We have identified 66 feeders, out of 76 in urban areas, that report line loss of over 50%. Prima facie, it appears power theft is the main reason behind this mounting AT & C (Aggregate Technical and Commercial) loss. We have started checking the meters of consumers with heavy loads in areas where electricity is supplied by these feeders,” he said.
Singh said the overall line loss in Noida was around 18%, earlier the state’s power minister Shrikant Sharma had directed officials to bring this down to below 15%.
Singh said the ‘faulty’ feeders have been supplying power to around 70,000 consumers mostly from urban villages or developing areas, particularly located on the banks of Yamuna and Hindon rivers. “We have found that power theft is rampant in villages like Wajidpur, Chaura, Jhundpura, Sadarpur, Chhalera, Salarpur, Bhangel and Gejha. Our officials have already started raiding meters of consumers in those areas,” he said.
When asked about the possible connivance of power officials in the losses, Singh said, “We are looking into this matter also. If officials are found guilty, action will be taken against them,” he said.
The discom has also started disconnection drive against 60,000 defaulters, who have yet not cleared their pending dues of electricity bills of Rs 150 crores. “So far, we have disconnected power lines of over 7,000 defaulters,” the chief engineer added.
