Reliance Energy’s war on power theft continues, lodges 200 FIRs in 2017-18

In its ongoing drive to thwart miscreants from indulging in power theft across Mumbai’s suburbs, Reliance Energy has registered a total of 200 First Information Reports (FIRs) in 2017-18, against 583 customers. This is a whopping 66 per cent more than the 120 cases registered in 2016-17, against 411 customers. Offenders were booked in high theft-prone clusters such as Shivaji Nagar, Cheetah Camp, Trombay, Mankhurd, Behrampada, Juhu Lane and Malvani.

The crackdown has helped the company to further cut down its transmission and distribution (T&D) losses to 8.12 per cent in 2017-18, which is by far the lowest in the country. Last year, its T&D losses stood at 8.83 per cent.

Stealing electricity is a nonbailable offence. Under section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, the offender can be punished with a fine, a jail term of up to three years, or both, once proven guilty.

In a landmark move, in August 2017, the Shivaji Nagar Police station invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) against a gang of serial offenders accused of power theft and illegal distribution in Chembur, with 24 cases already registered against them.

According to a spokesperson of Reliance Energy, the power demand in certain slum clusters is already high, and, new network development is not feasible due to acute space constraints. “Power theft overloads the network. This increases the cost of servicing as cables and transformers are more prone to failures, adding to a surge in repair and maintenance costs,” he said.