Power theft of Rs 5.6 crore exposed in western Maharashtra

PUNE: The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has exposed power theft worth around Rs 5.64 crore in western Maharashtra over the past three months. Of this, Pune district alone accounts for more than Rs 3 crore. The power distribution company has now initiated criminal action against consumers involved in this theft, under Section 135 of the Indian Electricity Act.
MSEDCL recently conducted a special one-day drive for exposing such thefts across Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Kolhapur, and Pune districts in Western Maharashtra, where the theft of power amounting Rs 1.28 crore was exposed across 1,418 locations.
“In the past three months, across three drives, we have exposed theft of power amounting to a total of Rs 5.64 crore at 4,983 places across Western Maharashtra,” read the statement from MSEDCL.
The statement highlighted that in the special drives, Pune district saw power theft worth Rs 3.41 crore exposed across 2,535 places — the highest in Western Maharashtra.
MSEDCL’s acting Pune regional director Ankush Nale has asked the authorities concerned to initiate stringent action against those involved in such illegal activities.