DISCOM personnel engaged in dehooking to get police protection

Bhubaneswar: Observing interference of anti-social elements in disrupting the electricity dehooking activities, the Energy Department once again decided to provide police protection to the personnel of the Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) involved in checking unauthorized use and theft of power.

In a letter to the DGP, the Energy Department Principal Secretary Vishal Dev requested for instruction to the District SPs, so that police protection could be provided to the DISCOM enforcement teams after assessing the local conditions.

The letter mentioned that the move will facilitate smooth enforcement activities of the electricity distribution companies. In turn, this will bring down the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses of the DISCOMs. 

It stated the unauthorised use and theft of electricity are major causes of the increasing commercial losses of the DISCOMs. 

The letter further mentioned local inhabitants, anti-social elements have been observed mishandling DISCOM squads, leading to law and order situation. This also endangers the lives of the DISCOM personnel in discharging their duties, it stated. 

Citing that the Energy Department wrote a similar letter in January this year, the Principal Secretary hoped an early action in this regard.