ELECTRIC POWER THEFT IN J&K

                                         

THE HEATER IN THE KITCHEN..

No person in J&K ( UT ) can say that he doesn't know what it is. For many decades , we used this tool to save   our fuel costs in the kitchen.Heaters and heating coils were sold everywhere . Even grocery stores sold heating coils needed for replacement.    In one way or the other, electric power was stolen by  all in the UT till 1980s .Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs , rich ,poor  educated , illiterate , and people from all walks indulged in power theft.   This theft was also facilitated by lineman or meter readers. Quite often a lineman would assist consumers in making the  electric meter dead .He would also assure the consumers about informing  them in advance of any  inspection saying,"'  ma he gham, ba chhus na' or  ' Don't worry unnecessarily . I am there to see all' ."

.The so called  inspection, if at all did take place , the lineman or the meter reader would take the inspecting official to a  consumer who was not paying regular bribe for stealing power. If the consumer settled the unpaid bribe during the inspection, all was "okay". 

The clerk in the revenue collection counter of Electricity Department was also sympathetic  to this theft. If you had an outstanding of 300 hundred rupees in the books of  the Electric  Department , it could be settled by paying just 100 or 120 rupees and some bribe to the dealing clerk  who would give a "No Outstanding" certificate  on the receipt issued by the department . A hook or  Kundi on main  service line was the  accepted reality of existence for many families  .Tampering with meters or bypassing meters was  common feature in households . During morning hours  , voltage dropped to  unbelievable low due to widespread use of heaters in  the kitchens by one and all. All of us were well  trained in using  and making innovations with this appliance. Many families had fitted the heaters in their traditional hearths ( Chulha or Dhaan) . Even our womenfolk were skilled in joining  cut pieces of  heating coils of heaters  in the event of breakdowns or faults . Many families made boilers from the broken or cut pieces of coils . While the rest of the countrymen paid for what they consumed, we believed that electric power was  free . 

However, that is a story of past now. Now, most of the areas in the J&K  UT have electronic meters  which  are connected to the  central grid for online billing .People living in these areas  have adjusted to paying for the power that they consume either by using PDD's online Sahuliyat facility or direct deposit at  the  designated J&K bank branch . There are still some pockets in Jammu and Srinagar where power theft or  pilferage  continues and consumption billing is improper.Unfortunately , assisted by some  politicians,  some consumers living in unmetered localities  have come to streets and resisted installation of electronic meters. They want the power theft facility to continue .

( Avtar Mota ) 

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