Subheadline: Mahavitaran says the August enforcement drive identified theft involving more than ₹2.13 crore and that unpaid assessment charges may lead to criminal cases
Mahavitaran’s Kalyan circle detected 1,189 electricity-theft cases across urban and rural areas of Thane and Palghar districts during a special enforcement drive in August, with the power utility assessing the stolen electricity at more than ₹2.13 crore, according to information released by its public relations department.
The utility has issued notices to the consumers involved, seeking payment of charges calculated according to the electricity used as well as applicable penalties. Mahavitaran said criminal cases would be filed under the Electricity Act if the amounts are not paid within the prescribed period.
Ulhasnagar Division 2 recorded the highest number of cases during the month, with 420 instances detected. The utility said the cases involved the theft of 43,000 units of electricity. The methods identified included tampering with electricity meters, taking unauthorised supply from electric poles and attaching devices to meters to interfere with recorded consumption.
Palghar district accounted for 369 cases, in which the utility found that 163,000 units of electricity had been stolen, Mahavitaran said. The Virar and Kalyan rural divisions each reported 204 cases, according to an official cited in the utility’s statement.
Mahavitaran said electricity theft causes revenue losses and can shift part of the burden onto consumers who pay their bills regularly. The utility also linked unauthorised connections and meter tampering to risks including short circuits, overloading and transformer failures, as well as the possibility of fires.
The utility has also decided to make public the names of consumers found stealing electricity, according to the report. The decision was taken after a meeting of senior officials chaired by Mahavitaran Director of Operations Dhananjay Aundhekar. The utility described electricity theft as a social offence and said accidents, including fatalities, had occurred during unauthorised electricity use.
Chandramani Mishra, chief engineer of the Mahavitaran Kalyan circle, urged consumers with unauthorised connections to regularise them. The utility said consumers who do not pay the assessed settlement charges within the prescribed period would face legal action.
Mahavitaran also cited figures from the previous month, when 1,175 electricity-theft cases were detected in the Kalyan circle. After assessment, the utility plans to publish the names of the consumers involved. Of those cases, 167 consumers had deposited ₹5.77 lakh towards settlement charges in the government treasury, while action against the remaining consumers will depend on payment within the stipulated deadline.
