‘Urjagiri’ to prevent Power theft in India.

When the nation celebrates the 150th birthday of father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the state of Uttarkhand is all set to launch a campaign against Power Theft; the cancer of society.   In a similar movement  OPERATION KHANYISA held  in South Africa, State Government in Republic of India is proposing another campaign URJAGIRI to contain Power Theft. The state of Uttarakhand is all set to introduce the program which aims at reducing power theft and losses from 30% to 14% through campaign and spreading awareness in the society.

Usually the burden of Power  theft is passed on to the regular customers who pay electricity charges and this burden is thrust upon them.

• Major activities  of proposed URJAGIRI are
• 1. Setting target for inspection to even Chief Engineers.However, any target interms of Power theft will give opposite results as officials may try to convert any system abnormality as Power Theft to accomplish the target.
• 2. Regular raids are being arranged to detain the power thieves.
• 3.Electro- mechanical meters are being replaced by the electronic meters in the regions  where chances of Power theft are high;
• 4. Introduction of the Low Tension Arial Bunched Cables [ABC].This will reduce tapping from overhead lines.

M/s Power Finance Corporation of India, the nodal agency to implement loss reduction and Power theft reduction activities in India has also undertaken this campaign to extend to other states of India. The results are yet to be seen.

Earlier, in South Africa, a campaign was launched when this country was losing 0.3 million USD per year by way of power theft. All South Africans are advocated to work collectively to stop Power theft. Operation Khanyisa is an occasion to do this.

Major high lights of this program was

• 1. Removal of Illegal connections
• 2. Actions targeting businesses and agriculture sectors as they are by and large involved in this crime.
• 3. Overloading of network, which to end with power cuts. This may urge consumers to again resort to power theft
• 4. Non-residential power theft involves industries who use conventional methods like bypass electricity meters.
• 5. Tougher punishment ensured for guilty
•  Operation Khanyisa was a successs .A revenue of 17 million USD was recovered since its inception in 2010.
• About of 2.35 million Electro mechanical meters were replaced, 112 arrests taken place to limit crimes associated, and 60 court cases and punishments.

Will Government of India succeed in the campaign against Power Theft  and loss reduction through ‘URJAGIRI’ since political parties appease common man to create vote bank and ultimately Power loss remains as perennial Loss to Discoms  that can never be stopped.

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