Jharkhand to have fast-track courts for power theft cases
By IANSWednesday, January 20, 2010
RANCHI - Special courts will be set up in all 24 districts of Jharkhand for speedy trial of electricity theft cases, Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das said Wednesday.
“Special courts will be set up in all the districts for speedy trials of electricity theft cases. These cases are pending for several years and there is a need to expedite them to curb theft,” Das, who is also in charge of the electricity department, told IANS.
“If we stop power theft then we can improve power scenario to a certain extent in urban areas,” he said here.
To prevent electricity theft, Das said: “We will start underground wiring. With that, the chances of power theft reduces drastically. In the first phase, we will start underground wiring in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Dhanbad.”
He said a detailed project report would be prepared soon. The underground wiring work may start next fiscal.
According to an official of Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB), about 25 to 30 percent power is lost in transmission due to power theft. Jharkhand has lost more than Rs.100 crore due to power theft.
“Power theft is taking place in many ways in the state. Hooking from wire is one medium. Both the domestic users and industrial sectors manipulate the meter reading causing loss of revenue,” the official said.
