Don’t raid my men for Power Theft; Political leader tells power officials.

ROHTAK: An audio clip of a conversation between a senior Political leader and a Haryana electricity department junior engineer (JE), in which the leader is heard scolding the JE for conducting raids on party workers for power theft, has gone viral in the social media. It is heard telling Rohtak district power department JE Arjun, “Stop conducting power theft raids in my assembly constituency. If needed, I am ready to speak to top brass about this. I have to contest the assembly election… Such power thefts are going on everywhere why are you conducting raids at party workers’ houses in my constituency? Should I talk to the chief minister?”

This 2.34-minute telephonic conversation recording went viral in the social media a few days back. On being contacted to ascertain the authenticity of the audio clip, the leader admitted that it was his voice, but added that what went viral in the social media was an incomplete audio. In fact, he was making the power official understand not to target innocent workers “selectively”, he said. “JE is conducting raids at workers selectively at the behest of some local men. I was asking him not to do so,”

On the other hand, the chief engineer of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, V S Mann, said that the department’s officials are regularly told to conduct power theft raids without any fear and favour, as per the rules. According to him, a worker, who identified himself called up Arjun asking him to go for an “outside settlement” for the raids conducted by him in Ritoli village at some workers’ houses.

Incidentally, according to power department officials, Rohtak district is one of the worst in terms of power theft, and currently Rs 231 crore from the last financial year is outstanding towards the power defaulters. The electricity department caught 2,437 power thefts and slapped a fine of Rs. 8.22 crore in the same fiscal. [Courtesy-The Times of India]