Imphal, September 03, 2010: A "Electricity Protection Force" dedicated to deal effectively with offences under the Electricity Act, 2003 is coming up soon.

Manipur government is determined to set up the special force considering the inability to implement provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 which was enacted seven years back with the objective of dealing with defaulting power consumers.

Action is being taken up for amendment of some of the clauses of the Act to establish a separate "Electricity Protection Force", a government source said Friday.

Manipur government enacted the Electricity Act 2003 on June 10, 2003, under which theft of energy and electric lines, interferences/tampering with energy meters, etc.

are punishable with heavy penalties under its sections from 135 to 139. The state government has already taken up necessary measures for implementation of the relevant provisions of the Act.

The state government has constituted Special Courts and also designated magistrates, advocates and assessing officers for the purpose of providing speedy trial of offences referred to sections 135 to 139.Two special magistrates have already appointed exclusively for the trial of theft of energy.

A police station exclusively for dealing with the offences under the Electricity Act, 2003 was sanctioned, but the setting up of a police station is yet to be materialized.

Implementation of this Act in the state will improve the resource mobilization of this department, observed the officer asserting that with this view, government is considering the setting of the �Electricity Protection Force� by amending sections of the Act related with the setting up of a police station exclusively to enforce the Act.

Even though Manipur electricity department has been strict enough in collecting power consumption charges from its consumers, it still has outstanding dues of Rs 246.831 crore owed by the consumers, as a result of which the department is yet to clear Rs 19.5848 crore outstanding dues with Central Sector Agencies hampering purchase of power.

The state electricity department has outstanding dues of Rs 246.831 crore to be realized from its consumers, out of which the major amount is with private entrepreneurs and the general public with Rs 213.1680 crore, an official source said Friday.

The due amount is as of March 31, 2010. Semi-government establishments had a total outstanding due of Rs 13.530 crore to be paid to the electricity department as power tariff, banks owed Rs 6.715 crore Central government establishments and offices owed Rs.6.715 crore, Co-operative offices Rs.0.228 crore and District Councils Rs.0.416 crore.

The electricity department has a total of 1,87,490 consumers of which 174.425 are domestic consumers.

It has 9,725 commercial consumers, 2,026 industrial (LT), 14 (HT), 64 irrigation/agricultural, 134 public water works, 585 Public Lighting and 515 bulk supply and others.

Even though the department is not able to meet the power demands of the consumers, a total of 285.03 Maga Unit (MU) of energy is sold out of 467.979 MU available for selling.

The huge outstanding dues remains unrecovered despite various measures taken up by the department to realize power consumption charges.

Steps to collect the outstanding dues owed by different government departments at source have been taken up.

Clearance of dues has been made mandatory before issuing of certificates, etc.

by the Deputy Commissioners of each district, an official of the department maintained.

Further for realization of arrears from consumers who are government employees, production of a No-due Certificate in respect of electricity charges has been made mandatory before preparation of pay bills.

The official said adding that detection and disconnection of un-authorized consumers, testing and rectification of meters, spot collection of revenue, etc.

are also being taken up in a big way.

Comment