Hyderabad, December 29: Adopting an American model to check power pilferage, the Central Power Distribution Company Limited (CPDCL) has decided to paste stickers on the electricity meters throughout the city to warn the pilferers on the consequences they have to face for their illegal act.
A decision to this effect has been taken by CPDCL managing director G Sai Prasad following a proposal mooted by the city wing of the CPDCL. The power utility has decided to follow the United States of America (USA) in this regard. In the US, the authorities paste a sticker displaying the punishment to be faced by people who draw power illegally.
The plan will be implemented within a few days. In the first phase, it will be introduced in parts of Old City, Mehdipatnam, Toli Chowki and its surrounding areas where pilferage is high. It is estimated that in Old City alone, the CPDCL is losing Rs 200 crore per year due to power theft.
“We will go and paste the warning stickers on existing metres whereas new metres will come along with the stickers. This should create fear among the people that resorting to pilferage would result in imprisonment up to three years,’’ a senior official of CPDCL told Expresso.
The method would be adopted for domestic, industrial and commercial consumers.
Meanwhile, the CPDCL has approached Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Mukesh Goud to allocate a piece of land belonging to the police department at Ziaguda to construct a 33/11 kv sub-station.
“He gave us an assurance to pursue the matter with special interest as the area falls under his constituency,’’ a CPDCL official said.
Construction of 33/11 kv sub-stations at Durganagar, ESI, Yakutpura and Panjesha has been completed and they will be ready for operation very shortly, the official informed.
–Agencies–