In one of the innovative measures to curb the line loss and to allot electricity connection to villagers, the State Power Department has decided to allot electricity connection to those consumers, who are unauthorised electricity consumers in the state. The recently taken decision would be proved extremely beneficial for those consumers who use Katia (illegal connection without meter) for electricity usages.
Despite the fact the more than one decade has passed since the formation of Uttarakhand, the department is still forced to procure electricity from major private players to meet with the daily power demand of the state that normally hovers around 32-35million units during summers besides, the problem of power exaggerates manifold during the winter season especially when power generation reduces with the frozen of Himalayan rivers in the higher parts of Uttarakhand. Department is holding customer care camps in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand for allotment of new electricity connection and clearing outstanding electricity bills.
Well established sources told that more than 15,93,853 are the registered electricity consumers of the state power department having load of 4033 megawatt in Garhwal and Kumaon division of Uttarakhand whereas in a rough estimate, around one lakh are the unauthorised consumers, who use katia for domestic and commercial purposes.
He further told that Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand are worst affected in terms of power theft and remote areas are worst affected.
Department has decided to carry intensive drive in the remotely situated slums of the affected districts for the allotment of meters and connection and electronic meters would be procured for the same.
Sources told that this step would be proved extremely beneficial for overcoming the problem of line loss besides it would be also proved beneficial to increase its revenue.
One of the department sources who wished anonymity told The Pioneer that department regularly conducts surprise checks in order to reduce the electricity theft cases across the state.
He said that remote parts of the state are worst affected in terms of power theft and maximum number of electricity theft cases have been reported in the slums.