CHANDIGARH: As the Punjab government provides bi-monthly 600 units of free electricity to domestic consumers in the state, -people resort to power theft to make their by- monthly reading of electricity bills below 600 units is one of the reasons for power theft. Besides this, power theft has become a way of life in the border areas . Central zone is the only zone where line losses are least and only 43 feeders have reported 15 to 25 % line losses.
In PSPCL the total number of feeders having losses between 15 to 90% may have come down from 2980 to 2714 from June ending to September ending this year , but the number of feeders in loss between 80 to 90 % have increased from one to eleven. In the west zone , Bhagta sub division under Bhagta Bhai Ka division of Bhatinda circle tops the list of feeders with 87.37 % line losses and is followed by 84.97% losses in a feeder in Khemkaran sub division under Bhikhiwind Division of Tarn Taran circle.
There are 11 feeders where line losses are more than80 percent in PSPCL. These include 10 in the border zone and one in the west zone. Similarly the border zone has 25 feeders with losses between 70 to 80% line losses and the west zone has six such feeders. The losses in the range of 60 to 70 % are 116 feeders and 65 feeders are in the border zone and balance 51 feeders from the west zone.
The total number of feeders above 50% losses in PSPCL have also increased from 362 to 414 feeders. Border and West zones of PSPCL are the only two zones which have 158 feeders where line losses are more than 60 per cent. The Central, North and South zones have nil feeders with more than 60 per cent line losses.
There are 256 feeders with losses between 50 to 60% comp[rising of 133 in West, 90 in Border zone and 33 in South zone. The feeders with losses of 25 to 50 % are 99 , the maximum number of 565 from the West zone followed by 266 in the South zone.
The worst divisions in the Tarn Taran circle of the border zone are Bhikhiwind and Patti. In the suburban circle West division has 7 feeders with more than 70% losses. In west zone Bhatinda , Ferozepur , Sri Mukatsar Sahib circles are amongst theft prone areas. Even Badal divisions have 17 feeders with losses between 50 to 60%.
In the Border and West zone there is strong resistance by the public against the checking by PSPCL staff. The change of meters inside consumers residences to outside on poles is not being allowed .Even change of electro-mechanical meters is hampered on account of this.
There are 52 divisions with losses more than 25% losses on feeders and a maximum number of 20 divisions are in the west zone followed by18 divisions in the South, 12 in the border zone and two in north zone..
In West zone divisions are Zira , Bhagta Bhaika , Bagha Purana , Malout , Jalalabad , Rampura Phul , Badal, Giddarwaha, Sri Mukatsar Sahib, Sub-urban and city Ferozepur, city Moga, Bhatinda, Budladha, Fazilka, Sub-urban Ferozepur, Faridkot, Maur, and Mansa.
In border zone divisions are Bhikhiwind , Patti, West Amritsar , Ajnala , , Sub Urban Tarn Taran , city Tarn Taran, Jandiala, Rayya city, Quadian, and Sub urban Amritsar , SU Taran Taran .
In south zone , the divisions are Patran, Dhuri, Dirbe, Mohali, Patiala east, Barnala, Malerkotla, Samana, Sangrur, Cheema, Longowal, Lehra gaga, Moonak, city Barnala, Ubhewal, and sub-urban Sunam.