Power dept officials among 7 booked for electricity theft

CHANDIGARH: Haryana government has imposed Rs 1.04 crore fine and lodged a case against a Faridabad-based person who had been stealing electricity and supplying it through underground cables to 45 farmhouses in Uttar Pradesh, power minister Ranjit Singh said on Friday.

A case has also been registered against six officers and employees of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVNL) involved in this case, Ranjit Singh, who also holds the portfolio of jails and new and renewable energy, said during a press conference here.

He said following a tip-off that some farmhouses located on the

Uttar Pradesh border were involved in electricity theft, a raid was conducted at Kheri Kalan subdivision by a team led by executive engineer Shamsher Singh on July 16.

The team discovered that a resident of Faridabad, Pradeep Tyagi, had taken an electricity connection and was illegally supplying power to 45 farmhouses across the state border in Uttar UP through underground wiring.

Ranjit Singh said during the investigation, it was also found that this illegal work was being carried out with the alleged collusion of some officers and employees of the corporation. He said a case has been registered in this matter at the Bhupani police station of Faridabad district, and further investigations are underway. Among the officials against whom the case has been registered are former SDO Sandeep Kundu and junior engineer Nishant Rohilla; present JE Jai Jitendra Singh; outsourced staff (ALM) Devi Ram, and Kanhaiya Lal.

JAIL OFFICIAL ARRESTED

The minister said the police have arrested two persons, including deputy superintendent Dharmbir Singh of Gurugam jail for allegedly supplying intoxicants inside the prison.