KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Nov 4: Following a verbal complaint by a social activist, Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) today disconnected the power line of an upcoming industrial unit in Adityapur industrial area, thus preventing a revenue loss to JBVNL to the tune of over Rs 30 crores.
Significantly, the JBVNL action is likely to open a can of worms prevailing in the power discom.
Background: ₹30 crore penalty for earlier power theft case
An industrial unit, “Stern Commodity”, would run in the Adityapur industrial area. In the year 2018, the then IG (Vigilance) of JBVNL Anil Palta, had raided the company on getting a complaint of power theft there.
The raiding team had slapped a penalty of Rs 30 crores, inclusive of the amount of estimated stolen power after snapping up the power connection. An FIR was also lodged in Adityapur thana in this connection, leading the case to find its place ultimately in the Jharkhand High Court, where the case is still pending.
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Plot transferred, new firm obtains power connection
In between, the management of the Stern Commodity dismantled the factory and later sold out the plot of land belonging to Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (AIADA) to a Chhattisgarh-based company Jai Radha Mahadev Automobiles Pvt Ltd.
While the process of plot transfer is still pending at the AIADA, the Chhattisgarh company managed to take a commercial connection of a minimum level at the litigated plot and started setting up its factory.
Enquiry confirms irregular connection
As the action on the Stern Commodity had gathered wide publicity, people were keeping a close eye on it. But after the signboard of Jai Radha Mahadev Automobiles was found on the plot, a local social activist Ajeet Singh inquired into the matter and found out the scam.
Singh subsequently wanted to know by talking to the General Manager of JBVNL’s Jamshedpur area board exactly how a new connection can be given to any new company, whereas a due of over Rs 30 crores is still pending on the Stern Commodity, and a case is pending in the high court.
Then only the GM, JBVNL, Ajeet Kumar, ordered the Superintending Engineer, Jamshedpur, Sudhir Kumar, to inquire into the matter. The Superintending Engineer assigned the enquiry to Executive Engineer, Adityapur, Sandeep Paswan, who found the complaint to be true.
“We have snapped up the power connection given to Jai Radha Mahadev Automobiles and are trying to find out how it happened without our knowledge,” said Sudhir Kumar while talking to The Jharkhand Story.
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Officials under scrutiny for authorizing connection
The Superintending Engineer, on being questioned, said the new connection had been given at the SDO (electrical) level. He also stated that the former SDO (electrical) Priyank Pandey and former Junior Engineer Manik Chandra Sharma had given the new connection, adding that they are going to take action against the duo soon.
The social activist Ajeet Singh pointed out that the Jai Radha Mahadev Automobiles had the plan to take HT power connection from the private power company JUSCO in the same way the company had taken the new connection, causing the JBVNL to incur a heavy revenue loss.
