Imphal, August 31: Hectic preparations are on to identify and punish those persons found guilty in connection with power loss during the course of transmission and distribution compared to the actual power supplied, according to official sources.

Sources disclosed that reports Manipur procured about 494 mega unit power during the 2003-04 financial year.

However this was in sharp contrast to the power bills submitted by Power Department personnel which recorded consumption of only around 163 mega units by the consumers.

This has ultimately raised eye brows and investigations are on to ascertain how and where the missing units have dissapeared or mis-utilised.

Power supplied through the 11 KV feeder lines in Manipur tallied 826.4058 mega unit while the consumers� bills cites only 165.3820, detailed the source while adding that the total loss in the course of distribution amounts to 261.0238 mega units.

In the same financial year, Manipur also incurred a loss of 68.0982 mega units prior to supply through the 11 kv feeder lines out of the total power procurement of 494.5040 mega units there, swelling the distribution-transmission deficit to 329.1220 mega units.

In view of the inexplicable loss of power supplied to the consumers, a meeting presided by newly appointed Chief Secretary Jarnail Singh was held today to ascertain the reasons behind the loss as well as to chalk out proper mechanism to prevent it.

Attended by top officials of State Power Department, the meeting found that out of 14 electricity divisions in the nine districts, Tamenglong division had the dubious distinction of topping the power loss chart calculated in average.

While the said division received 6.4715 mega units supplied through the feeder lines in the same financial year the consumer consumption bill states only 0.6690 mega units as data collected from the Bishnupur division puts 9 mega unit bill against supply of 24 mega units.

With the chief Secretary expressing serious concern over the huge losses, AEs of respective circles of the Power Dept have been instructed to place detailed reports on supply-consumption disparity ratio.

The source, nevertheless explained that illegal power connection differences prevail in the supply-consumption level.

As per the electricity Act 2003 the meeting decided that defaulters would be identified and prosecuted accordingly at the earliest that includes either penalty amount based on gravity of the unscrupulous act or monetary penalty along with three year jail term.

On the other hand officials at the meeting informed of pending power taxes liable for collection from the consumers and orders have been subsequently issued to concerned officials to expeditiously recover the debt.

Till may 31 of the current year the total power dues to be collected from the public consumers is reported to be Rs 107.289 crores while that owed by Government departments is calculated at Rs 21.507 crores.

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