New Delhi, June 24: Delhi’s Energy Minister Ashish Sood has initiated a comprehensive campaign against electricity theft in the national capital. This initiative has already shown significant success in Kamruddin Nagar, one of the areas with the highest line losses in Delhi.
In the Mundka division of West Delhi, the level of electricity loss reached a staggering 56.4%. This widespread theft resulted in an annual financial loss of approximately ₹24.4 crore. Investigations revealed that numerous illegal commercial and industrial establishments were misusing electricity by taking unauthorized connections from overhead lines.
To address this issue, Minister Sood directed the DISCOMs and relevant enforcement agencies to take strict and decisive action against electricity theft. A large-scale enforcement operation was conducted, resulting in the prevention of over 1 crore units of electricity theft.
The impact of this campaign was immediate, with electricity theft in targeted areas decreasing by nearly 34,000 units daily.
To ensure the sustainability of this achievement, the government has decided to replace sensitive power lines with secure and theft-resistant armored cables.
Following the success in Kamruddin Nagar, the Delhi government is launching similar special campaigns in other high-loss areas of the capital. Additional police forces are being deployed for covert operations, and modern data analytics are being utilized to identify and address electricity theft.
This extensive theft flourished during the previous Aam Aadmi Party government. Despite repeated warnings, no effective remedial measures were taken, leading to significant public financial losses due to negligence towards illegal commercial activities.
This administrative failure was an injustice to honest taxpayers and electricity consumers in Delhi. While ordinary citizens consistently paid their electricity bills, large-scale theft continued unchecked.
The Delhi government reaffirms its commitment to providing honest consumers with reliable, affordable, and uninterrupted electricity. Minister Ashish Sood has issued a clear warning that electricity connections of illegal commercial establishments involved in theft will be cut immediately, and severe punitive actions will be enforced, including sealing their premises if necessary.
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