Mumbai: Between April and Sept, Adani Electricity registered a substantial surge in FIRs against perpetrators of power theft, with 622 cases compared to 439 for the corresponding period last year, a senior official informed the media on Wednesday. This effort resulted in a 0.7% reduction in transmission and power distribution losses, reducing it to 4.56% in the last six months compared to 5.26% in the previous six months.
“The vigilance squads executed 18,255 mass raids in high-loss areas, a considerable increase from the 11,408 raids conducted during the same period last year. This culminated in 5,475 theft cases being registered compared to 3,757 last year,” the official said. The squads also confiscated a substantial quantity of illegal materials—32.9 tonnes of illegal wires—and assessed the value of purloined electricity at Rs 25 crore.
An Adani Electricity spokesperson stated: “Our company is steadfast in combating power theft, recognising it as both a criminal and social offence.” Some of the cases this year include uncovering a case involving electricity theft worth Rs 48 lakhs at a residential premise in Powai in September, and the theft of Rs 6.41 lakhs in a firm involved in the electroplating business at Ganesh Nagar, Charkop, Kandivali in May. Under section 135 of the Electricity Act 2003, offenders can face fines, imprisonment of up to three years, or both, upon conviction, an official said.
The spokesperson further commented: “Power theft has a deleterious effect on infrastructure, particularly in high-demand areas like slum clusters where infrastructure upgrades are challenging. The additional strain from power theft overburdens existing infrastructure, leading to increased maintenance costs due to more frequent cable and transformer failures.” He added: “Power theft unfairly encumbers honest paying consumers.”
Meanwhile, in the case of MSEDCL, to enhance the percentage of customers paying electricity bills online and through digital methods, the state power utility firm launched the Lucky Digital Customer Scheme on Wednesday. All low-tension electricity customers who pay their bills online three consecutive times after March 31, 2024, will be eligible for this scheme. Through a lucky draw, customers will receive attractive prizes such as smartphones and smartwatches.
