Power theft ends in Gaya Police Lines, cops consume 1043 KW power in Gaya

GAYA: Following the 5 March TOI report captioned 'Gaya Police Lines, the epi centre of power theft', senior police officials swung into action to get the power connection regularised thereby ending the decades old culture of 'hook system' of direct power consumption without any accounting and bill payment. All these years, the cops have been resisting the installation of electric meters, thereby emboldening other wrong doers.
On Thursday, a high level meet was convened by the home dept principal secretary Aamir Subhani to review the progress of regularisation of power supply in the Police Lines as well as BMP head quarters.Senior officials of the South Bihar Power Holding Company and India Power, the franchise holder of the Power Distribution in Gaya town, Bodh Gaya and Manpur areas of the district submitted action taken report at the high level meet specially convened in the light of the TOI report on power theft in the Gaya Police Lines.
The power officials informed the home dept principal secretary that soon after the publication of the TOI report, extensive meter installation job was undertaken to stop the practice of unauthorised usage of power in the Police Lines and other police establishments.
As per the ATR, the power load in the Police Lines, Seema Suraksha Bal and BMP head quarters was found to be 1043 KW. Break up of the power load says that Police Lines barracks and the more than 220 residential quarters consumed 543 KW. BMP head quarters consumed 480 KW. SSB consumed 20 KW power.
According to Gaya police sources, during the regularisation process, outstanding power dues of Police Lines, BMP and SSB were estimated to be Rs 3.19 crores. BMP alone owed Rs 1.43 crores to the Power Company.
SSB owed Rs 9.9 lakhs. Asked about the financial liability of the police in respect of power bill, India Power deputy general manager Rakesh Ranjan told TOI that the Rs 3.19 crore estimate of the outstanding due was tentative and not final. The estimate was subject to modification, said Ranjan.
Asked about the payment status of the current bill of power consumed by the cops, Ranjan said that the meters were only recently installed in the Police Lines and other police establishments and the first bill was yet to be generated. Electronic meters have been installed in the Police Lines, said the Power Company official.
Sources say that the home dept officials were informed by Power Company officials that community meters were installed in the barracks. The Home Dept officials are reported to have advised to replace community meters with individual meters for proper power accounting.