Power thieves brought to book

MAHADISCOM cracks down on power thieves; 2010 yields R23.69 crore in fines

MAHADISCOM cracks down on power thieves; 2010 yields R23.69 crore in fines

MAHADISCOM officials' drive against power thieves is bearing fruit with their having solved a total of 978 cases in the past year. The drive started five years ago has intensified in the past two years. Off the total 7361 cases lodged last year, 978 cases have been solved.

Former Indian Navy officer Commander Shivaji Indalkar and now deputy director at MAHADISCOM (vigilance, security and enforcement), said, "MAHADSICOM staff have been subjected to physical violence whenever they visit any site for checking metres or while checking cases of suspected power thefts. So, we have to rely on the local police for protection during such visits. There have been several cases of attacks on our engineers in this region since those who steal power are usually anti-social elements. On an average, last year, there were 19-20 suspected detections per month", said Indalkar.

MAHADISCOM officials say that high-value cases involving expensive power thefts are acted upon immediately since they are economically lucrative and they earn the company more revenue.u00a0

Indalkar added that 'Flying Squads' in various regions have been working round the clock by systematically monitoring the consumption patterns of high-end industrial consumers.

A flying squad typically consists of two engineers, 2 vigilance officers, 2 linemen who pay surprise visits to suspected power thieves.

"While 7361 cases have been checked in the year 2010, 2333 cases are being assessed for their consumption patterns," said Indalkar. But he refused to divulge the techniques used by the company to detect such cases.u00a0

"Till date, we have enjoyed tremendous support from citizens while nabbing the thieves and continue to enjoy the same since we have a small number of people working here. The consumers are the ones who will ultimately benefit if power theft is reduced as they will enjoy uninterrupted supply", said Indalkar.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

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