MSEDCL detects power pilferage of Rs 63.23 crore in Vidarbha
| Date :10-Jun-2022 |
Staff Reporter
Flying squad of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) unearthed power thefts worth Rs 63.23 crore during raids across Vidarbha. The drive aims to reduce commercial losses.
During the year 2021-22, MSEDCL teams fanned out in various cities and town and concentrated on loss making circles. A total of 5,503 cases were detected during the special drive.
The Security and Enforcement wing of MSEDCL unearthed 557 million units (MU) of power theft during
the last financial year. The company said, several measures were undertaken to upgrade the network and improve services to consumers.
During the year 2020-21, the flying squad had detected 168 MU of power theft, so in last year the comparative analysis indicates massive jump almost three-fold rise in detection of such cases.
Meanwhile, MSEDCL has already detected 600 cases of power theft in year 2022-23 and booked the culprits under stringent provisions of the Indian Electricity Act.
Among the theft, in HT and LT category 22,987 places were checked and power theft amounting to Rs 317.45 crore was detected. Of it, MSEDCL recovered dues of Rs 172.45 crore. The action of Security and Enforcement apart from weeding out thefts also helped
in increasing revenue of the company.
The raids that led to detection of power thefts included eight at Circle level, 20 at Division level, and 40 at sub-division level and about 71 squads were formed that contained 345 officers and staff.
To help prevent power thefts, 20 new flying squads were formed and that resulted in increasing the crackdown.
Vijay Singhal, Chairman and Managing Director, MSEDCL, after taking over reins of the distribution company, strived to streamline the functioning and trim the losses. Within one year there has been drastic improvement and now MSEDCL is profit center. He has instructed officials to constitute flying squad at division level so that continuous action against power theft continues throughout the year.
The Security and Enforcement Division is using technology to hilt and using the simulation software its easy to pinpoint circles where there is mismatch between supply and realisation of bills. Categories-wise analysis is done and feeder-wise sorted to pin down the culprits. Flying squads compiling data of ‘smart’ ways used for power pilferage
Even as MSEDCL has intensified action against power thefts, people also are trying newer and sophisticated means to evade action.
Taking a cue, now Security and Enforcement Division holds meeting first and third Monday where data about new method of power theft is discussed. This enables preparing blue print that is shared across the State and the ready reference enables quick detection of evasion.
During last year, maximum cases of power theft were detected in Konkan Division, this includes Mumbai and Thane, where 7,834 cases were found leading to evasion of Rs 152.43 crore, at Pune Region-5,527 places and recovery of Rs 72 crore, in Nagpur Region-5,503 cases-Rs 63.23 crore, and Aurangabad Region-4,123 places-Rs 29.80 crore.