Jamshedpur: JBVNL staff taken hostage during power theft drive

Jamshedpur, Feb 18: A section of Jugsalai residents took a team of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) workers hostage during an anti-power theft drive in Jugsalai on Friday morning.

During the drive when one of the power consumers was found tapping electricity, the consumer mobilised the support of locals and took hostage four members, including a female worker of the power company and also manhandled them.

The aggressive mob also destroyed the motorcycle of a JBVNL staff member and snatched away the power meter from those taken hostage. The workers got free after a police party reached the spot.

The incident took place at Gaddi Mohalla in the densely-populated Jugsalai, leading the JBVNL authority concerned to decide for carrying out a survey of the locality with the help of the police.

Revealing about the incident, assistant engineer, JBVNL, Jugsalai, Imran Murtaza said that acting on a tip-off that power theft was rampant in Gaddi Mohalla, he had sent a team of departmental workers to carry out a survey and snap off illegal power connection.

The assistant engineer said that had the police not turned in time, then perhaps the mob would have caused more harm to his worker.

“We have been receiving complaints about the theft and we were shocked to see during the raid that there was no match between the actual extent of power drawn to the houses and the extent of power consumption shown on the metering unit.  Then after investigation we found that there was tempering of metering units,” said an official.

Officials said that due to large scale power theft and tampering of meter bills it is essential to take strict actions otherwise the present scenario would only get worse. “We are playing the role of facilitator similar to trading commodities to the public and when the latter fails to reciprocate in the true sense and instead resorts to pilferage, the possibility of sustaining regular power supply to the consumers is very remote,” conceded an officer.

“The rampant power thefts, tampering of meters and long pending dues of consumers are a matter of great concern. Though I welcome stern steps to check all forms of malpractices, the corporate consumers should also be targeted. Several power bill defaulters had been resorting to illegal re-connection even after their lines were snapped. Surprise drives at night must soon be undertaken to detect such unauthorised connections,” noted a local social worker.