Defaulters fined Rs 25.6-crore for power theft

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11

Haryana Power Minister Ranjit Singh on Sunday said a fine of Rs 25.6 crore had been imposed on those indulging in power thefts across the state.

The minister said 482 teams of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) had been constituted to conduct raids. The teams checked 29,948 power connections and reported 6,015 theft cases in the last few days.

As many as 250 teams of the UHBVN checked 17,752 power connections in zone-1 and zone-2, of which 2,660 cases of theft were reported. A fine of Rs 10.92 crore for the theft of 6,177 kW had been imposed on the defaulters.

Similarly, 232 DHBVN teams checked 12,196 power connections in Delhi and Hisar zone, where 3,355 cases of theft were detected. A fine of Rs 14.69 crore had been imposed on the defaulters for the theft of 7,808 kW.

The Power Minister said raids were conducted in February. At that time, the teams had checked 4,295 power connections, of which 1,411 cases of theft were reported. A fine of Rs 5.59 crore was imposed on the defaulters.

The minister said such raids would continue in the future to curtail power theft.