Power theft by hooking on to an electricity system poses safety hazard in Delhi

New Delhi,

Delhi electricity distribution company (discom) BSES on Tuesday said that it was geared up to ensure incident-free power supply to its over 42 lakh consumers in the national capital and issued an advisory to the public on adopting simple safety precautions during the rainy season.

In a statement, the discom said it has undertaken extensive preventive maintenance works to minimise the accumulation of moisture in grids and panels.

Since water-logging during the monsoons majorly raises the risk of electricity-related mishaps, BSES advised people to “stay away from electrical installations like electricity poles, sub-stations, transformers and streetlights.”

It also advised customers to caution their children from playing near electricity installations, even if they are barricaded, and not play in parks that are water logged.

The discom also said that customers should get the entire wiring in their premises thoroughly checked by a licensed electrical contractor.

“Put off the main switch in case there is water-logging or leakage observed in the meter cabin. Put on the main switch only on ensuring that all faults have been rectified properly,” it said.

“Install an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) to help avoid shocks and mishaps and also keep a tester at home to check if there is an electricity leakage,” it added.

Emphasising that power theft by hooking on to an electricity system poses a serious safety hazard, BSES also urged customers to report incidents of power theft and convince people not to illegally draw electricity by hooking on to mainlines or roadside electrical equipment.

The discom urged customers to alert BSES in case somebody comes across any fallen cable, pole, exposed wiring or digging work on the roadsides.

“Another reason for outages is unplanned digging for road repair or to lay cables/pipelines. This not only causes outages, but can also be a serious safety threat — especially during the rainy season — for the area residents/passersby,” the statement said.[Courtesy:Outlook]