THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, March 22: A sane advice to the domestic urban and rural electricity consumers not to tamper with the electricity meter nor to consume electricity bypassing the meter.
A bypass meter is where the system of the meter does not record the units of electricity consumed. It’s a crime straightway.
Meter Bypassing in Urban and Power Theft in Rural Areas
Come summer and incidence of meter bypassing goes up as families run ACs, coolers and so they indulge in dirty tricks of cheating and dodging the electricity department.
The incidence of meter bypassing is more in the urban domestic consumers while in the rural areas, it’s a blatant theft of electricity for the sheer reason of irrigating the land and the standing crops or vegetables.
Executive Engineer of Electricity Santosh Kumar has appealed to the electricity consumers to abstain from any tampering with the meter and further indulging in the bypassing of the meter. He said it’s an offence for which a consumer will repent much.
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Action Against Defaulters
Assistant Engineer of Electricity (urban) Awadhesh Kumar Bakshi informed that on an average 15 power disconnections of consumers who are wilful defaulters in terms of the payment of the electricity bills are being carried out here a day.
The power disconnections mount pressure on such defaulters who rush to pay the outstanding dues, added Bakshi.
Bakshi making it clear said it’s not incumbent upon to lodge FIR against the defaulter consumers with every disconnection.
FIRs are essential where the theft of electricity is clandestinely enormous and rampant.
Unpaid electricity bills worth 10,000 rupees and above run the risk of disconnection.
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Legal Electricity Connections Encouraged
Executive Engineer of Electricity Santosh Kumar further told this correspondent, “I ask people to have legal and valid electricity connection. They must furnish proof of identity, proof of address, Aadhaar card etc.”
“Our department gives 30-meter service and meter all free, so why steal the electricity?” Santosh Kumar reiterated.
