Oct 18, 2017-With the expectant sharp rise in power consumption during Tihar—the Hindu festival of lights, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched a campaign in Siraha district to control electricity leakage.
A joint team of NEA staff, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have detained 21 people on the charge of electricity theft over the past two days. The team also seized equipment used to tap electricity from the grid, along with other tools that the suspects were found running on the stolen power.
The perpetrators were arrested from Malhaniya Khori, Gauraha and Balkawa areas, according to Shivaram Yadav, chief at the NEA distribution centre in Mirchaiya. They were found operating water pumps for irrigation with the stolen electricity by hooking on to the power grid.
The monitoring team also seized 22 water pumps, four TV sets, three fans, a refrigerator and wires during the raid.The NEA said that it started the leakage control campaign in coordination with the security forces as the incidents of power theft had been going on unchecked in the areas. The campaign will be continued for a few more days, said Yadav.
There are 24,500 consumers under NEA’s Mirchaiya distribution centre. The power theft in Mirchaiya area stands at 9.1 percent.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
