Manzoor-ul-Hassan
Srinagar, Jul 20: The power distribution corporations (DISCOMS) of Jammu and Kashmir have added over 41,000 new connections to their consumer base during a massive drive against illegal connections and power theft in the Union territory this year, officials said.
The maximum number of new connections, nearly 70%, belong to domestic consumers, they said. The other categories include non-domestic commercial, agriculture sector, electric vehicle charging stations, industrial, and government departments.
Currently, there are nearly 20.5 lakh power consumers in J&K with a total agreement load consumption of 4010.52 megawatts
The DISCOMS also delivered nearly 1,900 applications related to name change, ownership change, and category change for power consumers recently, as per official data.
Early this year, the twin corporations of J&K, Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) and Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL), started a massive drive against power bill defaulters and illegal connections.
The drive resulted in the disconnection of 11,450 consumers for non-payment of dues, with outstanding arrears of Rs 43.26 crore recovered in the Kashmir division alone. KPDCL also intensified action against smart metre tampering, with nearly 600 applications filed for the registration of FIRs.
KPDCL also added 13,719 new connections to its domestic consumer base, increasing the load by 7.5 MW. The new connections include 1,949 in Kulgam, 1,630 in Budgam, and 1,269 in Sopore, among other areas.
Meanwhile, corporations have advised consumers to avoid using crude heating gadgets like heaters and boilers, which have been banned by the government.
The crackdown on power theft is part of the power department’s efforts to reduce losses and improve the overall efficiency of the power distribution system in the UT.
