Around 1205 cases of power theft detected by HESCO.

HYDERABAD, November 19, 2009 (Balochistan Times): The management of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) is implementing an effective strategy for eradication of power theft during the year 2009-2010. Under the strategy, the HESCO officers detected 1205 cases from July till date and found 7546 persons guilty of power theft, of which, the Police have registered 63 cases against 159 persons while 1042 cases of power theft against 7387 persons have still not been registered by the Police, the HESCO spokesman informed. The spokesman said that a common method of the theft of electricity being used by the consumers is through earth control system and the consumers install the switch in the house of control of neutral and to use earth instead of neutral. Whenever the checking team visits at consumer premises, the spokesman informed the consumer operates the system on/off switch and this hidden theft affected the progress of reduction in line losses. Similarly, the spokesman said that required quantum of connections are not being registered in the villages because of the residents are not capable to pay even the security deposit for new connection and prefer to use electricity through Kundas. He said that the HESCO management has decided to complete re-routification programme within six months (out sources) and initially awarded the project to a firm for Operation Circle-I Hyderabad. Under combing of high loss feeders, the HESCO management has also asked the Managers Operation at first instance to complete one feeder from each circle in a month. He said that survey of air-conditioned premises and monitoring of consumption by weekly reading through special task force is being carried out while Manager Operations are also constituting task force for each division, while they will also prepare weekly consumption registers and Deputy Commercial Managers and Managers will check the same and enter their comments on it. The monitoring of industrial consumers consumptions is also being taking out with fortnightly readings, he said and added that M&T will also check 20 percent industrial connections under Tariff B2, B3 and B4 every month. Similarly, the weekly reading to monitor Agriculture/Tube-Well consumers consumption is being carried out while Metering Section Supervisors will record the reading in a register prepared for weekly consumption, he said and added that the Deputy Commercial Managers will check the register on weekly basis. The spokesman said that monitoring of heavy loaded connections such as Petrol Pumps, CNG Stations, Bakeries, Hotels etc by recording weekly reading through special task forces is also being carried out under the same strategy. Under the strategy, he said the monitoring of prompt billing of new connections will also be carried out. The Deputy Commercial Managers of the circle and Deputy Managers Operation will check the service connections register on fortnightly basis and will certify that all the connections, installed have been opened in computer centre and connections have been installed on priority basis. Similarly, the spokesman said that all new connections will be given on static meters whereas all sluggish/old meters will be replaced with static meters and for early completion of task, the work will be outsourced. The Managers of Circles will prepare proposals after consultation with private parties and send to Director Customer Service for further approval of BOD. He said that the HESCO management has decided to replace all defective meters with static meters and in future, defective code would be given only on CP-21-C when it declared defective by M&T. The management will install TOU meters on such connections, which have load above 5 kilowatts connections. This job will be completed by the end of June 2010, he said and added that fortnightly report will be prepared and sent to Director Customer Service. The spokesman said that the management has also started the installation of Aerial Bundled Conductors on LT 400V distribution system in order to eliminate the Kunda connections (Direct hooking). The World Bank has agreed for financing 20 million US Dollars for installation of Aerial Bundled Conductors, he added. Under the same strategy, the spokesman said that removal of duplicate or more than one supply connections in the same premises would be surveyed during re-routification. The management has assigned the task to M&T and S&I to check influent and posh areas in order to eradicate power theft. The Chief Engineers, Manager Commercials and Deputy Managers Operation and Commercial will ensure the inspection of sub-divisions on monthly basis while Director Operation and Chief Engineer (Power) Sukkur will monitor all above activities and will be responsible to achieve the target of reduction of line losses.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)