Days After Anti-Encroachment Drive, Smart Meter Installed At Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman's Home Amid Tight Security

SDO-1 of Sambhal Santosh Tripathi on Tuesday stated the electricity department team had gone there to install a smart meter at Rehman's residence in Deepasarai locality

File photo of Lok Sabha MP from Sambhal Zia Ur Rehman.

Source : PTI

A few days after anti-encroachment drive, a team from the electricity department on Tuesday reached the residence of Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal Zia Ur Rehman where a smart electricity meter was installed amidst heavy security arrangements. 

SDO-1 of Sambhal Santosh Tripathi on Tuesday stated the electricity department team had gone there to install a smart meter at Rehman's residence in Deepasarai locality. The earlier meter has been replaced with a smart meter, he said.

The police team was led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shrish Chandra and Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary was also deployed at the MP's residence. Chandra said the police force was deployed to ensure the safety of the electricity department employees, news agency PTI reported.

Responding to questions regarding electricity theft, the ASP said the details regarding this could be provided by the electricity department. He added that the authorities visited the location due to several incidents that affected the law and order situation in Deepsarai area.

Sambhal MP's father Mamluk Ur Rahman Barq told reporters that there was nothing new in the installation and that the electricity department was just replacing an old meter with a new one.

Several cases of electricity theft have come to the light in the district lately with reportedly more than 1200 cases registered so far. This has resulted in police and administration officials conducting continuous campaigns to curb electricity theft in the area.

The development today assumes significance as it comes a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that "mini-power stations" are being operated from religious places in Sambhal.

Speaking in the UP Assembly on Monday, Adityanath had said several mosques were found to be setting up illegal sub-stations inside them and that connections were being distributed for free.

"The line loss of the power corporation in the state is less than 30 per cent but the line loss in Deepasarai and Miyasarai localities of Sambhal is 78 per cent and 82 per cent respectively," he had said.

"This is loot of the country's resources. If the administration is discharging its duty, then it will be called a thief and if the administration catches theft, then it will be said that it is an atrocity," Adityanath added.

Recently, the Sambhal administration reopened a temple which was said to have been locked since 1978 after communal riots in the town. The Bhasma Shankar temple houses an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling.

Officials stated the temple, which is close to the Shahi Jama Masjid, where the clashes took place, was opened after authorities "stumbled" on it during an anti-encroachment drive.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vandana Mishra, who was leading a campaign against electricity theft in the area, had said: "While inspecting the region, we stumbled upon this temple. Upon noticing it, I immediately informed the district authorities."