Many suspected of dodging prepaid system
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 09 2023:
The more than 5-month-old conflict between two communities has affected the State's Power sector with more than 5 lakh consumers believed to have bypassed prepaid metered connection system and using electricity illegally, said a highly placed source in the Manipur State Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MSPDCL) .
There are more than 1 lakh consumers who have not done any recharge for about 4-5 months and more than 3 lakh consumers who have not done recharge for more than 3 months.
While these consumers haven't done recharge, our system indicates that they are still using electricity, said the source.
Notably, this claim of the MSPDCL source came after reports on social media had alleged that people in Kuki dominated Churachandpur district are using electricity bypassing the metered connection system.
Meanwhile, the source in the MSPDCL said many consumers, mainly from outside Greater Imphal area, Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Moreh and other places are believed to have bypassed the metered connection system.
The source stressed that the places where such fraudulent connections are suspected include non-Kuki dominated areas also.
The source explained that the modern system allows the MSPDCL to see and know how much power has been drawn and consumed from the National Grid.
Every prepaid consumer is given a unique ID and this allows the MSPDCL to track and see how much power has been used/drawn by a consumer.
The system also allows the company to track the recharge frequency of each and every consumer.
There are more than 5 lakh consumers who have not done a single recharge in the last 3-5 months but are still using electricity.
What this means is that they have somehow bypassed the metered connection system, said the source.
Earlier, bill collection was done by human intervention on the ground, but this has been done away with and replaced by digital mode of recharge.
Prepaid recharge is done on the website of the MSPDCL using digital payment platforms such as GPay, Paytm etc.
One of the major reasons for people bypassing the metered connection system may be the internet ban that has been imposed in the State since May 3, said the source.
Also, due to the prevailing law and order situation, MSPDCL is unable to conduct door-to-door inspection at many suspected places.
However, drives are being conducted at some places to detect fraudulent connections, said the source.