KPDCL to border felony prices towards customers for energy theft

Srinagar December 02 – In an try and fight large-scale energy pilferage and enhance invoice deposits by defaulting customers, Kashmir Energy Distribution Company Restricted (KPDCL) carried out a whopping 10,465 inspections and disconnected over 11,000 customers within the final 10 days of November 2023.

KPDCL additionally realized a income of Rs.85.24 crore, together with energy receipts, in the identical interval, with highest remittances of Rs.16.42 crore recorded on November 28 alone.

Sharing particulars, a KPDCL spokesperson confirmed rampant hooking of strains on naked conductor in metered areas and exceeding power use past agreed load by flat-rated customers throughout Kashmir Division.

“Throughout inspection overdrive, penalty of Rs.1.03 crore was imposed on customers discovered concerned in energy theft throughout all 6 O&M Circles in final 10 days of November. As many as 995 connections have been regularised and 2120 KW load added,” the spokesman stated.

O&M Circle Ganderbal carried out the very best variety of 2,945 inspections, adopted by Circle Spore with 2,048, Circle II Srinagar 1,950, Pulwama 1,528, Bijbehara 1,004 and Circle I Srinagar 990.

Crediting KPDCL patrolling groups for transferring out in sub-zero temperature to reveal energy pilferage, the spokesman shared particulars of 11,238 customers disconnected within the final 10 days of November, who had pending power dues exceeding three months. This included 7,828 home, 2,979 business and 346 industrial customers.

The spokesperson assured the customers of strict adherence to energy curtailment schedule following extra allocation of energy to UT of Jammu & Kashmir by the Central Authorities.
Emphasizing even handed use of energy, KPDCL spokesperson additionally warned customers to keep away from hooking, bypassing of meters and exceeding overload, failing which KPDCL will file felony prices below related provisions of the Electrical energy Act.

“We are going to quickly begin sharing particulars of customers who’ve pending power dues in lakhs in the direction of the organisation. We will even expose hookers who’ve the temerity to overtly use energy unauthorisedly,” he stated. including that FIRs will probably be lodged towards these individuals who bodily assault KPDCL employees for performing official duties.

The spokesman additionally warned business customers together with accommodations, malls and different enterprise shops who’ve been discovered concerned in tampering with meters and have been caught red-handed by the Central Inspection Squad of KPDCL. “We’ve got taken cognizance below legislation and penalised them. These penalties for energy theft have been confirmed by the First Appellate Authority below Sections 126 & 127 of the Electrical energy Act. KPDCL will make sure the fines are deposited, in any other case we are going to act powerful and provoke authorized proceedings towards them,” he stated, including the lists of all such defaulters is mendacity with KPDCL and will probably be made public quickly.

Confirming optimistic outcomes of accelerated inspection and disconnection drives, KPDCL spokesman stated such drives will proceed that are geared toward stopping power losses and enhancing income assortment from defaulting customers. “There have been many optimistic takeaways from such drives. It will assist us in adhering to energy curtailment schedule and increasing consolation to the real customers,” he assured.

Reiterating concern over the speed of injury to Home Transformers (DTs), the spokesperson urged the customers to stop overloading of DTs which places complete habitations to nice hardships throughout peak winter instances. “We’ve got maintained regular fee of changing broken transformers. Our groups at Central Workshop Pampore and divisional-level workshops are working 24X7 to restore broken DTs and making certain time-bound alternative,” he added.