18 December,2010 04:25 AM IST | | Parth Satam
Remote-controlled meter tampering devices are easy to make and operate, but officials say any attempts to steal power by lay consumers will attract severe fines and penalties
After the case of meter tampering through a remote-controlled jammer in a Bhandup factory, ('Now, power thefts through remote control', Nov 25), state's power distributing authority is beset with fears that the practice may just be gaining ground with lay consumers as well.
Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) or MAHADISCOM is racked by worries that the technology of jamming meters through remote controls, usually adopted by bulk industrial consumers, is so user-friendly that anyone with an elementary knowledge of electrical science can rig such devices on their own.
Officials expressed concern that such remote jammers are abundantly and cheaply available, tempting domestic users to employ such devices to slash bills.
"Remote control is the easiest method of stealing power.
The technology is low-end and anyone can acquire such devices," said a MAHADISCOM official who didn't want to be named. He added that meter tampering/jamming through remote control was common in industrial areas near Pune.
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But the Bhandup case, the first of its kind in Mumbai, has made officials sit up and take notice.u00a0 They are now contemplating refined methods to detect such high-tech thefts.
Counter measures
"We have decided to introduce new measures to detect such practices early on. We will regularly monitor high-end bulk consumers, by recording their consumption patterns throughout the year.
Whenever we find any irregularity in either the consumption pattern or a mismatch between the units consumed and the appropriate bill, we will visit the place immediately to investigate," said the official.
u00a0"We are trying to remain one step ahead of such thieves by asking meter manufacturing companies to make the digital meters immune to such remote tampering. We have also stepped up monthly visits to industrial consumers to check their meters," he added.
Another official talked about a MAHADISCOM project initiated a few months ago to counter power thieves.
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Called the Mass Meter Replacement Project, the operation will ensure that meters for industrial consumers, which are more than 10 years old, are replaced with new ones.
"The earlier meters were electro-mechanical but the new ones are static, and hence resistant to high frequency jammers," the official said.
But techno-thieves are always a step ahead, officials say. "Our main worry is that miscreants keep devising new techniques and escape detection," said another senior official. MAHDISCOM is also in the process of compiling statistical data of such power thefts for a better analysis.
Expert says
Power expert Ashok Pendse said that this issue is a complicated one and the only way power firms can tackle this is augmenting preventive measures.
"One cannot obviously stop manufacturing meters since it is legally not feasible. Making them non-responsive to such jammers is the only immediate solution," he said.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Bhandup Theft
Vishwas Kadam, owner of Vishwas Enterprises in Bhandup East, was charged with stealing 30,000 electricity units that cost Rs 2.71 lakh, as reported by MiD DAY.
Officials say that they still haven't recovered the device, a high frequency jammer, used to tamper with the meter.
They are relying on documentary evidence that shows a mismatch in consumption patterns and the meter reading.
11,174
The number of tampered electric meters that were caught by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited in Bhandup in July, 2010
9,373
The number of tampered electric meters that showed Zero meter reading during a raid by MSEDCL in Thane in July, 2010
Rs 5 lakh
Amount collected in fines and penalties by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited from tampered meters in Thane district
