Irked by the attempts to curb power theft, a mob attacked BSES Rajdhani Power limited (BRPl) inspection team in Mundka (Village Ranholla) in West Delhi. Three BSES officials and one Delhi Police Sub- Inspector were injured. Delhi Police has registered an FIR and arrested two villagers.
The team comprises fifteen member, including three women, was undertaking a loss reduction exercise in the area. The mob gathered and started pelting stones on the team.
A discom official said that they attacked suddenly and even the presence of around 20 Delhi Police personnel accompanying the BSES team in this high power theft area did not deter the mob.
According to a BSES spokesperson, "This is not an isolated incident. Efforts of discom teams to check the irregularities are often thwarted by the law-defying people who function like organised gangs. Whenever teams reach these ‘sensitive’ areas, unscrupulous elements 'gherao' them and obstruct officials in imparting their duties.
"This attack was undertaken by people who are indulged in power theft in an organised way. Power theft has taken shape of organised crime and active police support is needed to curb this menace," he added.
Officials said cases of power theft shoot up substantially during the summer months, which leads to severe over-loading of the distribution system (transformers/feeders) at places, resulting in tripping. It is also a potential safety hazard.
"Despite intensive efforts to reduce power theft, Village Raholla (a prominent Village in division Mundka) continues to have massive losses of around 40 per cent. In the last two years, around 450 cases of power theft having a connected load of around 1,200 KW have been unearthed in the area," he added.
BRPl & BYPl are premier power distribution companies and Joint Ventures between Reliance Infrastructure limited and GoNCT.