The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has registered 88 cases of power theft in April this year. It also imposed a penalty of Rs 1.82 crore for the offence during the period.
Last year, the state-run power distribution company registered over 1,000 cases of theft and earned Rs 14 crore as penalty.
Residents now would have to pay more for the electricity consumption from June. In residential areas, consumers would have to pay five to ten paise extra per unit depending upon the consumption limit.
The residents feel that the discom is only bothered about lodging complaints. "Those who pay the bill are being targeted,” Jatinder Ahuja, a resident of Kendriya Vihar, said.
VK Aggarwal, executive engineer, said, “It is not that the department is revising the tariff to meet their expenses. Besides, to check the theft cases we are planning to have high-voltage distribution system so that there is one small transformer for three to four families and the system would help in a big way.”