PDD to file Criminal charges against Power Theft
To crack down on power theft and improve bill payments, the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) went all out in the last 10 days of November 2023. They did a massive 10,465 inspections, catching over 11,000 defaulting consumers in the act.
During this hustle, KPDCL pocketed a whopping Rs.85.24 crore, and the biggest chunk, Rs.16.42 crore, came in on November 28. The inspections revealed a lot of fishy stuff – people messing with power lines and some using more energy than they’re supposed to in various parts of Kashmir.
To teach the culprits a lesson, KPDCL slapped penalties of Rs.1.03 crore on those stealing power across all 6 O&M Circles in the last 10 days of November. On the bright side, they regularized 995 connections and added 2120 KW load. Ganderbal’s O&M Circle was the hero, doing 2,945 inspections, followed by Spore with 2,048, Srinagar with 1,950, Pulwama with 1,528, Bijbehara with 1,004, and Srinagar’s Circle I with 990.
KPDCL gave a big shout-out to their patrolling teams, braving freezing temperatures to catch power thieves. They disconnected a whopping 11,238 consumers who hadn’t paid their energy bills for more than three months. This included 7,828 homes, 2,979 businesses, and 346 industries.
Consumers were assured of sticking to a power schedule, thanks to extra power given to Jammu & Kashmir by the Central Government. KPDCL warned against stealing power, promising to drop the legal hammer on anyone caught. They also said they’d spill the beans on people owing big energy bills and exposed unauthorized power users.
Commercial folks tampering with meters got hit with fines, and KPDCL said they’d spill the beans on defaulters soon. Despite the tough love, KPDCL promised more checks to save power, collect more money, and keep things comfy for honest consumers. They also reminded everyone not to overload transformers, and they’re working day and night to fix the damaged ones.
