Large parts of Uttar Pradesh are suffering from unbridled power cuts as Etawah gets 24x7 power supply. (TOI file photo)

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Riots, stirs over power cuts in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: While large parts of Uttar Pradesh suffer unbridled power cuts , Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav 's constituency Etawah doesn't merely get 24x7 electricity; at least 72% of its people get free power through pilferage.While chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has been issuing directions to power officials to curtail line loss, in his own hometown, Etawah, sources in Dakshinanchal Distribution Company said only one out of four consumers of electricity is paying for it. Not that the rest of the state is too far behind; other districts report 35% to 50% power theft.Discom officials said while division-1 of Etawah registers over 72% pilferage, division-2 sees 59% loss through filching of electricity. Officials have been unable to control high losses even as arrears continue to mount in the district. Authorities admit the losses have been rising ever since the district was categorized 'VIP district', qualified for 24-hour electricity.Discom sources said the total number of registered consumers in Etawah is around 1.1 lakh whereas the population that ought to be charged for power is around 4 lakh. Power theft has spiraled particularly in villages of this Yadav-dominated district ever since SP came to power in 2012.The high pilferage has led to red-faced officials gearing up to carry out a drive to register power consumers in Etawah. Dakshinanchal Distribution Company managing director Prabhu Singh said there is a dramatic shift in the government's stance. "Our focus is to curtail losses to the extent possible. And we are getting all the political support for that," he said.On Monday, at least 45 teams of vigilance departments were roped in by the distribution company to reconnoiter the Etawah district.The exercise will go on for two days. Singh said all 17 subdivisions in the district will be provided at least two vigilance teams. "These would assess the load in each home and commercial building and submit a report. On its basis, action will be taken against consumers," he said.Singh said it was two weeks ago that the discom decided to take on erring consumers. He said the discom has spread the word about the drive in which erring consumers would be taken to task under section 135 of the state electricity Act 2003. This appears to have worked. In the last one week, the number of registered consumers has risen by nearly 12,000. This is almost 10% of the total registered consumers in the district."We hope to get good response," Singh said, adding that help was sought from the administration as well as police in carrying out the drive. A senior official in the energy department said if the VIP districts are taken to task, power theft would decrease substantially. Besides Etawah, the power department will carry out similar exercise in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, Varanasi. In all, 168 towns with a population of over 30,000 people are proposed to be covered under the drive.