Disconnections Spike as Revenue Collection Surges
Amidst intensified monitoring operations, the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has taken stringent action against defaulting consumers, leading to disconnection of 1117 consumers and a significant revenue realization of Rs. 29.89 crore over the span of four days.
To alleviate genuine consumer grievances and combat widespread malpractices like unauthorized hooking, load violations, and meter tampering, KPDCL has escalated night patrolling and inspection drives. This crackdown aims to curb energy pilferage, which has been a primary cause of frequent outages and transformer damage, thereby causing inconvenience to legitimate consumers.
During the four-day period, the Corporation executed 1153 inspections across various divisions, including 98 in Circle I Srinagar, 233 in Circle II Srinagar, 367 in Circle Ganderbal, 140 in Circle Pulwama, 142 in Circle Bijbehara, and 154 in Circle Sopore. As a result, approximately 228 KW load was added across these divisions.
In accordance with Section 126 of the Electricity Act, a penalty amounting to Rs. 7.81 lakh was imposed on unauthorized power users. Additionally, 1117 domestic, commercial, and industrial connections were disconnected due to non-payment of energy dues pending for more than three months, encompassing 886 domestic, 212 commercial, and 17 industrial consumers.
The surge in disconnections is paralleled by an alarming increase in damaged Domestic Transformers (DTs), with 62 reported on Friday alone, up from 52 reported on the preceding day. Responding promptly, KPDCL repaired and replaced 61 transformers on Friday, aligning with directives issued for damaged DTs’ timely replacement.
Expressing concern over the mounting number of damaged DTs at various workshops, the spokesperson highlighted the strain this places on meeting government-mandated timelines.
In the pursuit of recovering pending energy dues, KPDCL amassed a revenue of Rs. 29.89 crore from consumers, with a substantial Rs. 9.18 crore collected on Friday alone. The Corporation has urged consumers to clear their overdue bills promptly, cautioning of potential power disconnections in case of continued non-payment.
