Barely had the violence over the survey at an ancient mosque in Sambhal died down, that the Uttar Pradesh government intensified its drive against power theft in the tense town, including around the contested structure.
After power officials claimed to have unearthed illegal electricity connections in “several mosques and a madrasa”, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in the state Assembly that “mini-power stations” were being operated from religious places in Sambhal. While the line loss of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) in the state was less than 30%, Adityanath said, the line loss in some localities of Sambhal was more than 75%, calling it “looting of the country’s resources”.
Sambhal Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, who is already facing charges over the November 24 violence in Sambhal, has been slapped with a fine of Rs 1.91 crore over alleged power theft and threatened with attachment of his property if the dues are not paid within 15 days. The electricity supply to his Sambhal residence has been disconnected, while his father Mamlukur Rehman Barq has also been booked, for allegedly threatening power officials during the inspection of their residence.
On Thursday, the Power Department initiated similar action across the Moradabad division, which includes the Sambhal district, with Commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh ordering stringent checking for electricity theft across all religious places.
The orders were passed at a divisional review meeting attended by senior officials including district magistrates of Bijnor, Rampur, Amroha and Sambhal. Singh said officials should check electricity metres at temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches in all the districts of the division.
As per senior UPPCL officials, while the action in Sambhal may have drawn attention, the drive against electricity theft in the state is routine and ongoing. What is different this time, they say, is that inspections are being conducted in areas reporting “significant electricity losses”.
According to them, among districts identified by them after a survey, where “targeted inspections” are on, include Budaun, Bareilly, Lakhimpur Kheri, Moradabad, and others. On Saturday, officials said, residents in Budaun and Rampur held a protest as the team arrived for inspections, and locals intervened to resolve the matter. “We have a WhatsApp group where officials share updates, including photographs, of protests occurring in their respective districts,” said an official at the Lucknow headquarters.
An officer said that over the past three months, new instructions have gone out on how and when inspections should be conducted. “We keep comprehensive records of consumption patterns to pinpoint areas in sub-stations where electricity usage is high, but revenue collection remains low,” said the officer.
While the state produces around 7,000 MW of power, even in winters, daily consumption can go up to 15,000 MW, the officer said. “It is estimated that around 20-22% of the total electricity supplied is lost due to theft and other reasons.”
As part of its drive, the Power Department is also replacing old electric meters with smart meters, and upgrading electricity wires to guard against damage and theft.
Earlier this week, UPPCL Chairman Dr Ashish Kumar Goel directed that efforts to curb electricity theft needed more push. The department recently announced a One-Time Settlement scheme to enhance bill collection.
In Sambhal, officials said, the campaign has been on for four months, and intensified over the past few days as it moved into densely populated areas with police deployed to ward off any trouble. Three drone cameras are being used to identify buildings and houses which may have unauthorised power connections.
“In the last four days, we have identified 196 locations where illegal power connections were being used, and cases have been registered. These include five mosques and a madrasa,” Vinod Kumar Gupta, Superintendent Engineer (Power), Sambhal, told The Indian Express.
SP Sambhal district president Asgar Ali said they had no problems with any checks against power theft, but that a routine procedure had been turned into “targeted raids at the behest of political leaders”. Ali pointed to action in four Muslim-dominated areas of Sambhal.
About the action against MP Barq, Ali said he belongs to a prominent political family, with his grandfather Shafiqur Rahman Barq, who passed away earlier this year, a long-serving MP. “Zia Ur Rehman was an MLA before becoming an MP. Does it make any sense to accuse someone of his stature of stealing electricity?” Ali said.
Gupta denied allegations of selective action, or of acting on a specific complaint, saying: “We have registered FIRs against a mosque and all the houses found using illegal electricity connections (in Sambhal).”
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said: “The FIR against MP Zia Ur Rehman was filed after a preliminary inquiry, and it is concerning that those responsible for making laws are involved in such activities… The SP should take action against him instead of defending him.”
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