‘Millions of units saved’: Crackdown on power theft on in high-loss areas of Delhi
In a statement, the Power Minister’s office said illegal commercial and industrial units were the main source of theft, allegedly drawing power through unauthorised connections from overhead lines.
The government said the drive would now be extended to other high-loss pockets of the Capital. It also said that authorities would deploy additional police personnel for raids and use data analytics to identify areas and consumers suspected of power theft.
In a crackdown on electricity theft in West Delhi’s Kamruddin Nagar —a high-loss pocket — authorities were able to prevent stealing of more than million units of power, with losses at the targeted locations reducing by around 34,000 units a day, Power Minister Ashish Sood said on Tuesday.
The move assumes significance as Kamruddin Nagar, which falls under the Mundka division, had recorded aggregate technical and commercial losses of 56.4%, according to the Delhi government, which translated into an annual financial loss of around Rs 24.4 crore.
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In a statement, the Power Minister’s office said illegal commercial and industrial units were the main source of theft, allegedly drawing power through unauthorised connections from overhead lines.
According to sources, the highest estimated losses in BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL’s) areas are in Khyala Village, where power theft is pegged at around Rs 30.6 crore annually. This is followed by Kamruddin Nagar in Mundka, Jharoda Kalan and Dhichaon Kalan in Najafgarh, and Tughlakabad village, with each of these areas accounting for significant losses.
Under BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL’s) jurisdiction, Krishna Nagar and Gandhi Nagar are the biggest power theft-prone pockets, with estimated losses of around Rs 4.97 crore, followed by New Seelampur-Ghonda (Rs 3.57 crore), Jama Masjid (Rs 2.16 crore) and Anand Vihar ISBT-Ghazipur village (Rs 1.36 crore), sources said.
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Further, Sood directed power distribution companies and enforcement agencies to take “strict and uncompromising” action against such theft, the statement said. As part of the measures, vulnerable cables in the area will be replaced with armoured, theft-resistant cables to prevent illegal tapping, officials said.
The government said the drive would now be extended to other high-loss pockets of the Capital. It also said that authorities would deploy additional police personnel for raids and use data analytics to identify areas and consumers suspected of power theft. Meanwhile, Sood hit out at the previous AAP government, arguing that it had failed to act against large-scale theft despite repeated warnings, allowing losses to accumulate.
The government said the drive would now be extended to other high-loss pockets of the Capital. It also said that authorities would deploy additional police personnel for raids and use data analytics to identify areas and consumers suspected of power theft. 
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