The Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Ltd (MeECL), Sanjay Goyal, today informed that the public sector utility has taken action against residents of Maxwelton Estate who were involved in power theft.
“We have taken action as per the electricity rules and regulations. The rules are very clear that those who do not have a legal connection will be categorised as illegal and we have identified such connections,” Goyal told Highland Post.
The CMD also said that the corporation is undertaking such operations where it finds power theft and added that such connections are disconnected and action is taken in terms of assessments and penalties as per the law.
“Regular routine disconnection drives are done regularly across the state,” he said, adding that, in extreme cases, such individuals are penalised and assessed in terms of revenue (loss due to such illegal activities) and revenue is collected from such persons.
He said that power theft is occurring through hooking or connecting through other consumers illegally.
Goyal also said that MeECL has a vigilance wing that looks into power thefts and it takes actions and field officers are authorised to check such illegalities if such things are happening since such acts are a loss to the corporation.
Recently, acting on a complaint of the Khasi Students Union (KSU), Laban circle the MeECL disconnected power to settlers at the Maxwelton Estate. The KSU has dubbed the residents there as illegal settlers and claimed of also being involved in power theft. The KSU said that officials discovered that the settlers had tampered with electrical meters and distributed power illegally to several others.
“There are 27 houses with power meters and electricity was illegally distributed to about 50 of them,” the pressure group had said.