As SP MP Gets Booked, Take A Look At The Whopping Amount UP Loses To 'Power Theft' Every Year
In Uttar Pradesh, approximately 120,000 million units of electricity are purchased annually. It is estimated that 5 billion rupees worth of electricity is stolen each year.
Electricity Theft in UP: Electricity theft and losses to the power discoms in Uttar Pradesh have trapped the state in a quagmire of debt, politics, and protests against privatisation. The power department is now taking decisive action against electricity theft. In its latest move in Sambhal, Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Bark has been booked for allegedly siphoning off electricity. However, power theft is taking place in UP on a large scale not only in Sambhal but in the entire UP. According to figures, electricity worth Rs 5,000 crore is siphoned off every year in the state.
Since the violence in Sambhal, UP, a large-scale campaign is underway against encroachment and electricity theft. During the investigation, cases of electricity theft by installing illegal connections have come to light on a large scale in Sambhal. More than a thousand cases have been registered in this matter so far.
How Much Electricity Is 'Stolen' Every Year?
Every year, about one lakh twenty thousand million units of electricity are purchased in Uttar Pradesh. Out of this, electricity worth Rs 5,000 crore is 'stolen'. According to figures available with ABP News, the Western Uttar Pradesh Power Distribution Corporation Limited has had to bear a distribution loss of up to 24.62% in the Saharanpur zone.
In the Moradabad zone of the Western region, there is a distribution loss of up to 18.43%. The situation is the same with the Dakshinachal Nigam Limited, which faced a distribution loss of up to 24.22% in the Banda zone. The Madhyanchal Nigam Limited bore a distribution loss of 21.76 percent in the Devipatan zone here, 19.29% in the Azamgarh zone of the Purvanchal Corporation Limited and 12.09% in the KESCO region.
After Sambhal, UPPCL will launch a large-scale campaign against electricity theft in UP. Corporation Chairman Ashish Goyal reviewed the work of all the DISCOMs on Tuesday at Shakti Bhawan and instructed them to take strict action against electricity theft by launching a mega campaign seeking to recover dues from every defaulter.
Fallout Of Electricity Theft In UP
The electricity theft has dealt major losses to the power discoms in UP, forcing it to propose a move towards privatisation. However, the proposal has the state electricity board employees up in arms who are protesting the move. They have begun a public awareness campaign demanding that the management of the board be handed over to the employees' association to curb losses and bring in profitability.