MSEDCL intensifies power theft crackdown using AI, detects cases worth Rs 66.28 crore

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited MSEDCL on Thursday announced that they have intensified its crackdown on electricity theft across MaharashtraIn an official statement MSEDCL said it has implemented a combination of artificial intelligence AIbased predictive analysis and physical inspections detecting 27964 cases of power theft involving Rs 6628 crore over a threemonth periodOfficials from MSEDCL said the action was carried out from June to August as part of an aggressive campaign aimed at reducing electricity losses and recovering outstanding dues MSEDCL has deployed more than 190 flying squads across the state to act on leads generated through its newly developed AI and Machine Learning ML moduleAI module tracks suspicious electricity consumptionMoving beyond conventional inspection methods MSEDCLs dedicated AI module analyses more than 50 technical parameters around the clock to identify potential cases of electricity theftThe system examines factors such as historical electricity consumption sudden increases or decreases in demand and anomalies that could indicate meter tamperingConsumers showing unusual consumption patterns are automatically classified as highrisk allowing enforcement teams to focus their inspections on specific locations without first conducting extensive manual surveysThe AIbased approach is intended to improve the accuracy of inspections and help MSEDCL identify suspected electricity theft more efficiently190 flying squads deployed across MaharashtraMSEDCL highlighted that the intelligence generated by the AI system is being followed up by more than 190 specialised flying squads deployed across Maharashtra The squads include personnel from MSEDCLs Operations and Maintenance OampM as well as Security and Enforcement divisionsMSEDCL has also digitised the enforcement process through its Theft Tracking and Monitoring System TTMS mobile application The system records the process from inspection through penalty assessment and recoveryInspection details live photographs digital panchnamas immediate disconnection of electricity supply and penalty recovery details are uploaded to the application in real time According to MSEDCL the digital process is aimed at improving transparency and reducing the scope for negligence during enforcement actionKonkan records highest number of casesDuring the threemonth campaign power theft was detected across all four major MSEDCL regionsKonkan Region 11083 casesNagpur Region 5949 casesPune Region 5849 casesChhatrapati Sambhajinagar Region 5083 casesOf the 27964 theft cases detected assessment bills totalling Rs 6628 crore were issued in 24508 verified cases As per the official statement ldquoMSEDCL has so far recovered Rs 2985 crore from 10810 settled casesrdquoMSEDCL registers 289 criminal casesThe power distribution company has warned consumers who fail to pay the assessed electricity charges and applicable compounding fees within the stipulated period of strict legal actionldquoSo far 289 criminal cases have been registered under Section 135 of the Electricity Act against alleged offenders who failed to clear their duesrdquo MSEDCL highlightedElectricity theft is a punishable offence under the law and can attract financial penalties as well as imprisonment of up to three years depending on the circumstances of the offenceMSEDCL targets ATampC losses below 10 per centLokesh Chandra Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and Chairman and Managing Director of MSEDCL said that the company is targeting a reduction in its Aggregate Technical and Commercial ATampC losses to below 10 per cent over the next three yearsHe added ldquoThe company is prioritising the recovery of outstanding dues and has launched an aggressive campaign against electricity theft across MaharashtrardquoAccording to Chandra the newly developed AI module has strengthened MSEDCLs ability to identify suspected theft and improve the precision of its enforcement operationsThe integration of AIbased detection fieldlevel inspections and realtime digital monitoring marks a shift in MSEDCLs strategy from conventional surveybased inspections towards datadriven enforcement against electricity theft