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Power thefts: Prayagraj south under power dept scanner

To check power theft menace in Prayagraj south, power department is planning to launch an intensive drive

Published on: Aug 4, 2021, 23:57:46 IST
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To check power theft menace in Prayagraj south, power department is planning to launch an intensive drive.

The power department has identified 40 such feeders of Kalyani Devi, Karelabagh, Naini and Rambagh areas where substantial power is being consumed but the department is failing to get the due revenue. (HT PHOTO)
The power department has identified 40 such feeders of Kalyani Devi, Karelabagh, Naini and Rambagh areas where substantial power is being consumed but the department is failing to get the due revenue. (HT PHOTO)

The department believes that as many as 80 per cent people connected with its feeders in the area were either indulging in power theft or deliberately not paying the power dues.

Superintending engineer Ashutosh Srivastava said that an exercise of investigating these feeders had been undertaken by the department and the connections were being checked. Power theft was recently detected in 18 homes of Dariyabad and Khalifa Mandi localities by the power department teams.

He said Kalyani Devi and Chakia were the worst affected areas with as many as 89.43% locals connected to the local feeders were not paying their electricity bills.

Likewise, residents of those getting power through Khusrobagh sub station’s Daiarashah Ajmal feeder were second on the list with 85.93% of the residents either stealing power or not paying the bills closely followed by residents connected to the department’s Arya Kanya college feeder (85.77%) at third spot, officials said citing departmental records.

Superintending engineer Ashutosh Srivastava said that an exercise of investigating these feeders had been undertaken by the department and the connections were being checked. Power theft was recently detected in 18 homes of Dariyabad and Khalifa Mandi localities by the power department teams.

Officials said that now an extensive metre reading exercise was being undertaken in these areas with police protection as in most of these places, the power department teams had to face opposition and even threats from locals.

Officials also said that recently when the power department team reached Khalifa mandi to read the metres, they were refused entry inside the homes by the locals, which finally forced the sub-divisional officer of Khusrobagh to seek police help and undertake the task.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K Sandeep Kumar

K. Sandeep Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor and Bureau Head of Hindustan Times in Prayagraj, where he leads the newspaper's editorial coverage across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, he has built a reputation for credible, in-depth and impact-driven reporting on Uttar Pradesh's governance, politics, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence, infrastructure and development. Over the course of his career, Sandeep has consistently broken and tracked stories that have shaped public discourse, with a particular focus on policy, public institutions and issues that directly affect people's lives. His reporting combines rigorous fieldwork with data-backed analysis, making complex subjects accessible to a wide readership. He has also written extensively on human-interest stories that spotlight resilience, innovation and social change across urban and rural Uttar Pradesh. As Prayagraj Bureau Head, he mentors reporters, drives editorial planning and ensures comprehensive coverage of one of India's most politically and culturally significant regions. His work is marked by accuracy, balance and context, reflecting a commitment to public-interest journalism and high editorial standards. Through his reporting, Sandeep continues to chronicle the evolving social, economic and political landscape of Uttar Pradesh while delivering insightful and reliable journalism for Hindustan Times readers.

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