~ Special scheme is valid for February and March~
Bhubaneshwar: TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL), a Tata Power and Government of Odisha joint venture, has introduced one special scheme to settle the theft assessment dues for all those who have been booked under power theft. This special scheme, where more than normal exemption on theft bills are being offered by the company, is valid for February and March of this year. Assessment defaulters will have to visit their nearest electric sub-division office and regularize their pending dues.
The scheme by TPCODL is an attempt for all consumers who have been booked under power theft to utilise this last opportunity to regularize and get a new connection. Many such incidents have come to the fore in the recent past. Over 2,500 customers have been found involved in illegal activities like parallel hooking from LT poles, meter tampering etc. in the months of January and February alone. Such activities not only jeopardizes network safety and poses life threatening hazards to the consumers, the pilferage due to power theft affects quality and reliability of power supply to the honest consumers. TPCODL will be bound to take legal action under section 135 of Indian Electricity Act, 2003 if these theft penalties are not paid by any consumer and if they are not resorting to legal practices by taking new connections.
Power theft is one of the major hurdles in TPCODL’s efforts towards ensuring seamless power supply as it overburdens the network. It increases the total losses as well as creating a burden on honest consumers for utilising their daily loads. TPCODL’s enforcement teams’ have diligently put in efforts to check multiple unauthorized hooking, metering manipulation which led to power theft across their licensed areas of operations. TPCODL request its honest consumers, to come forward and lodge complaints against electricity theft, if they come across any, by sending message to WhatsApp number 9437158670 / or sending e-mail to [email protected].
“As a responsible power utility, it is our duty to ensure that our honest customers do not get burdened at the cost of power theft. The special scheme launched provides an opportunity for regularizing and also getting a new connection. TPCODL is committed to provide uninterrupted power supply and will take all efforts to reduce power thefts and enhance quality and reliability of power supply,” said Mr. M. Shenbagam, Chief Executive Officer, TPCODL.
