Raids were conducted by the Central Power Distribution Company (CPDCL) across Old City to check pilferage between March and May and at least 669 cases of meter tampering and dozens of thefts were detected, officials said.
“The drive is a result of a high court order issued on February 24 that has directed us to take steps to combat power theft in the area. The drive will continue indefinitely till theft is minimised,” said CPDCL chief vigilance officer Muralidhar Rao.
The drive will concentrate on commercial establishments, which use three-phase meters as their rate of consumption of power is higher than that of other consumers, Rao added.
“If consumption is high, the bills should reflect that but this is not the case. We have not covered industrial consumers so far,” he said.
The south circle of CPDCL, where raids were carried out, comprises Old City in addition to Dhoolpet, Mangalhat, Sultan Bazaar and Begum Bazaar.
Inspections were conducted by CPDCL in various areas, including Charminar, Chatrinaka, Chanchalguda, Miralam and Mughalpura for more than 41 days from March 28 to May 8, according to data obtained from the company.
Out of the 2,142 meters inspected, the company has recorded 669 cases that pointed out that the meters were tampered with, as well as 40 cases of direct theft.
“The 669 meters have been seized and will be sent for meter reading test (MRT). Another 176 meters from apartments have been taken and these will also be sent for testing,” said a CPDCL official, requesting anonymity. About 520 meters have been replaced so far, the official added.
Of the 182 meters inspected in Chatrinaka, eight cases of theft and 113 MRT referred cases were booked.
In Mughalpura, the CPDCL inspected 359 meters and detected 12 theft cases while 148 were MRT referred cases. Of the 166 meters inspected in Lad Bazaar area, 43 were MRT referred cases, with no direct theft cases being reported from the area.
CPDCL officials reiterated that loses from south circle stood at around 47 per cent, amounting to around Rs 29 crore per month. According to officials, uncooperative public representatives and hostile consumers are common.