ASEB fails to check power thefts

GUWAHATI, March 2: Every body in the Government, right from a bureaucrat to the Union Finance Minister, cannot but mention the T&D (transmission and distribution) loss incurred by our State Electricity Boards (SEBs) while making observations on the deplorable state of affairs in the power sector of the country. But, they remain blissfully silent over the issue of the losses caused by power theft. The reason for that is best known to them. Perhaps, the following incidents will help in throwing some light on this aspect of feigning ignorance by these people in the helm of affairs. Two years back, on February 22, 1999, T Borah, the then Senior Electrical Inspector, Zone-I of Guwahati, in a report to the ASEB Chief Engineer (Com) said that though the ASEB supplied power through 33,000 overhead service line to M/s Brahmaputra Steel (P) Ltd and M/s Brahmaputra Iron and Steel Ltd from the 132 kv Shishugram Sub-Station amounting to 31,88,760 units between October 4, 1998 and February 4, 1999, the static meters at consumers' end recorded only 8,15,160 units. This made the ASEB suffer a loss of more than Rs 65 lakh as per the then existing tariff rate. He also said in his report that it was learnt that the ASEB suffered a loss of nearly Rs 60 lakh in supplying power to the aforesaid consumers during the period between 23-7-97 to 4-2-1998 due to difference in consumption of 28,30,980 units recorded by the static meters at the Shishugram Sub-station end and at the aforesaid consumers' end. Similarly, the ASEB suffered a loss of about Rs 50 lakh in supplying power to M/s Bajrang Re-rolling Mill, Barshapara, Guwahati 18, from the 33 Kv Fatasil Sub-Station, during the period of September 1, 1998 to January 4, 1999, while the ASEB loss in supplying power to Assam Tubes Ltd, Amingaon from 33 kv Amingaon Sub-station during the period of 30-4-97 to 4-2-98, was estimated to be more than Rs 157 lakh, said Borah's report. He also observed that it appeared that the consumers defrauded the ASEB by tempering or by-passing the high voltage metering system at the consumers' end avoiding detection. "Involvement of some ASEB personnel could not be ruled out in the process," he said. Borah suggested that a team might be constituted by the state government for random check of the metering system comprising of the officials of the ASEB, the Electrical Inspectorate and the BIEO with necessary infrastructure and statutory powers to prevent further loss of energy and revenue of the State. All these were reported by The Assam Tribune earlier in 1999. The present story starts with the ASEB's strengthening the monitoring system further by early last year. M/s Brahmaputra Steel (P) Ltd and M/s Brahmaputra Iron and Steel Ltd, allegedly bribed one ASEB employee to temper the static meters at the Shishugram Sub-Station end to make the current transformer (CT) and the potential transformer (PT) connected to the static meters non-functional. But as the rate of tampering the CT and the PT at the consumers' end was a little different, the static meters at the consumers' end recorded different units exposing the entire bid to defraud the ASEB by the parties. Thus, again the power theft by the parties came to light, said the sources. However, undaunted, the parties allegedly managed the transfer of the ASEB officials who were engaged relentlessly in detecting the power theft from Shishugram Sub-Station, and, thus the power theft from Shishugram Sub-Station is continuing undeterred, said the sources, adding, in other areas also power theft is continuing to rob the ASEB off its vital.