Power theft: Fence itself eating crop in Uttar Pradesh.

The largest state in India, Uttar Pradesh, is hampered by antisocial actions in the electricity industry, thanks to vigilance staff. The government estimates a huge loss of 5019 crore INR every year in the state owing to the greasing hands of officials by criminals. A link between corrupt officials and electricity thieves was recently unearthed in Agra. Even during the daytime, residents of the state have nothing odd about tapping electricity directly from exposed overhead lines and performing power theft. If this is the scenario, it is better not to bring up the theft of electricity meters, which are normally inside a person’s private property.

 There is a plethora of vigilance officers who are intended to go beyond the standard power theft detection efforts of distribution authorities. A large number of police officers are also on the payroll to help the engineers on the pitch. On paper, everything appears to be fine, but the state is losing roughly 150 million INR every day due to the exponential surge in power theft. Bribe culture and the collusion of departmental engineers and vigilance squad with electricity thieves in Agra have come out recently.

The state distribution companies are dealing with two problems: While the payment for power purchases to the generators is to be done regularly, they cannot collect charges for the electricity sold due to multiple issues including power theft in Uttar Pradesh. The majority of power thefts are performed by screwdriver technicians, and no rocket science technology is involved. For high-consumption and extra-high-tension customers, it appears cost-effective to invest a few lakhs to purchase the technology behind power theft, as metering has become more sophisticated in recent years.

 It is astounding that a very high-ranking police officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police heads the Vigilance Team, yet lower-rung officials in the state police itself, deputed for detecting power theft, are conspiring with consumers after accepting bribes. It is high time for the Government of Uttar Pradesh to conduct a social audit of the whole work done by the Discoms’ vigilance squad and revamp the organisation. They are committing the same offences as power perpetrators do. Taking action on isolated issues in Agra will serve no purpose, which is why power theft is flourishing in the state.

 Will smart metres improve the situation? The ground reality in Uttar Pradesh is not yet conducive to the implementation of smart meters. No system is tamperproof, and smart meters are no exception; they are merely tamper-resistant. Before diving into the notion of smart meters, the state of UP must first lay the groundwork to collect revenue from electricity charges, make metered energy systems throughout the state, and keep power theft to a minimum level.