Power-Grid-Kashmir
Srinagar, Nov 23: Amidst a severe power crisis in Kashmir, the KPDCL has accelerated night patrolling and inspections across all 10 districts to address incidents of massive hooking and power theft by consumers. The KPDCL asserts that such illegal activities often lead to outages and damage to Distribution Transformers, exacerbating the challenges faced by the region, especially in cold weather conditions.
The valley has been grappling with unscheduled power cuts, significantly impacting daily life. Divisional Commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri assures that the power situation in Kashmir will improve within a week.
KPDCL issues a warning of legal action against offenders found involved in rampant hooking and connecting electricity lines. The consumption of energy by consumers in unmetered areas, exceeding their agreed load, has sharply increased, causing strain on the power curtailment schedule and frequent damages to Distribution Transformers.
In an effort to curb power theft, the KPDCL has conducted extensive inspection drives, with 53,016 inspections conducted until October 31, resulting in a penalty of Rs. 12.68 crore imposed for unauthorized power use. Special teams have been formed for late-night inspections to identify and penalize those engaging in illegal hooking and using banned heating gadgets.
The KPDCL attributes damage to Distribution Transformers, LT AB cables, and Distribution Boxes to illegal hooking and the use of crude heating gadgets. On November 21 alone, 64 Distribution Transformers were reported damaged due to heavy loading, prompting repairs and replacements.
The KPDCL urges consumers to use power judiciously and within agreed loads, particularly during peak hours. Power theft tends to increase during winter months, leading to overloading of the distribution system and unscheduled power cuts.
In an initiative to improve revenue realization, Circle I, Srinagar, disconnected 448 commercial and 147 industrial units on Tuesday for non-payment of energy dues amounting to Rs. 13.50 crore over the last three months. KPDCL aims to enhance billing and collection efficiency to improve revenue realization and reduce AT&C losses in accordance with government norms.”
