GUWAHATI, Aug 1 � For arresting rampant power theft in remote areas of the State, the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) has decided to delegate the work to local input-based franchisees at places, where the Board is incurring losses with pilferage beyond control.
The State at present is losing around 15-20 per cent of the total electricity consumed due to power pilferage that amounts to a hefty sum of Rs 120 to 150 crore annually.
�Though the total annual aggregate electricity loss in theState is around 30 per cent, only 10 to 15 per cent is wasted due to technical reasons and the rest because of power stealing, which has posed a major challenge for the ASEB, specially in rural Assam, where power consumption through illegal means is very common,� ASEB Chairman Anil Sachan told The Assam Tribune.
The Board has identified 24 such loss-making power feeders across the State where sanitization of distribution lines is going on with the help of power police stations after which it would be handed over to the franchisees within the next two months.
The target is to hand over 100 such loss-incurring feeders to the local franchisees by the end of this year, which is expected to fetch the ASEB a monthly gain of Rs 2 crore. In the next phase, 100 more such feeders would be handed over to the franchisees, which can include Self Help Groups (SHGs) or even women�s groups that can efficiently check power theft through social pressure and awareness. If need be, they can also take the help of the power police stations.
At present, there are 12 special power police stations in the State exclusively dealing with offences related to theft of power and material. Since September 2009, around 3,000 cases have been investigated by these power police stations and 194 defaulters fined.
�As the existing network and metering system in rural areas is in a very dilapidated shape leading to huge technical and commercial losses, it was imperative to take up rectification programmes. The programme also aims at generating employment at the local level,� he added.
The scheme of appointing input-based franchisees in the feeders providing power to rural areas has yielded satisfactory results, when launched on an experimental basis in Tinsukia, where three feeders have been handed over to franchisees and also in Udalguri district, where franchisees are managing two feeders.
