NOIDA: Noida-based power distribution firm Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) discovered power theft of over 9,000 watts during an inspection on Thursday evening at the 33/11 KV power station in Dankaur, officials said on Friday.

The unit aimed to reduce energy losses, enforce compliance and penalize unauthorized use of energy. It focused on Unchi Dankaur, an area with high power transmission losses, and disconnected 12 long unpaid connections, besides recovering dues from five consumers who never paid their bills while increasing the burden on multiple accounts, officials said.

Checks were carried out on a total of 25 connections, and from these five cases of electricity theft, a cumulative load of 4,126 watts was identified. Action has been taken and first information reports (FIRs) have been registered against the offenders under relevant sections of the law, said officials at PVVNL, Noida.

“Our inspection unit found 11 cases of power theft, which represents a combined unauthorized load of over 9,200 watts. We filed FIR against all the offenders and recovered ₹2.86 lakh in taxes. Addressing power theft is crucial to maintaining an efficient power supply,” said Rahul Sharma, Executive Engineer, PVVNL Noida.

The drive also involved the power loss of the line in Rabupura town, where 24 connections were examined, leading to the discovery of six additional cases of power theft, with a total load of 5,076 watts. Later, FIRs were filed against the people involved.

Certainly, there are around 200,000 registered power consumers in Noida under the jurisdiction of PVVNL, according to officials.

“Such actions are essential not only to ensure fair billing practices, but also to strengthen the efficiency of our electricity distribution network. These efforts contribute to a more sustainable and reliable power source for our consumers,” said Chief Engineer, PVVNL Noida, Harish Bansal.

In October, PVVNL Noida, during an intense enforcement drive, disconnected the supply connections of as many as 98 consumers, while ₹26.13 lakh was recovered from the spot. Three first information reports were registered under the Electricity Act for the offence.