Uttar Pradesh: Authorities Intensify Crackdown on Electricity Theft in Sambhal

Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh), Dec 14 (NationPress) - In the early hours of Saturday, authorities in Sambhal commenced a focused operation to tackle electricity theft, revealing unauthorized power supplies purportedly diverted from various religious establishments to adjacent localities.

The operation, led by the Electricity Department in partnership with the District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP), kicked off at 5 A.M. on that Saturday morning.

Sambhal District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya indicated that the primary goal of the initial inspection was to oversee loudspeaker operations at religious sites in an effort to mitigate noise pollution, but what was uncovered was substantial power theft.

"Today at 5:00 A.M., we initiated checks on loudspeakers due to ongoing pollution issues at religious sites. Several loudspeakers have been taken down, and one individual was arrested in relation to this matter on Friday. During our checks, we discovered numerous illegal electricity connections supplying power to approximately 250 to 300 residences, which included mosques and madrasas," he explained.

Pensiya also revealed that a temporary power station was located on the roof of a mosque, supplying electricity to between 100 and 150 households.

"An entire rooftop had been converted into an illegal power generation facility. This situation has been documented, and the illegal connections will be rectified. Accurate assessments will be conducted, and measures will persist until Sambhal is entirely liberated from electricity theft," he further stated.

Sambhal SP Krishan Bishnoi elaborated on the findings, stating, "Since 5:00 A.M. today, inspections have been carried out on loudspeakers at all religious sites, including temples and mosques."

"During these inspections, we uncovered illegal electricity connections directly associated with utility poles, powering entire neighborhoods. Over 100 unauthorized connections were identified in a span of three hours," he reported.

He disclosed that four mosques were found to have electricity wires emanating from their towers, supplying power to entire neighborhoods.

"Investigations are currently underway, and legal actions will be initiated against those engaged in this illicit operation. The electricity theft, which amounts to crores of rupees, is being dealt with by the department. One mosque was found to have a makeshift power station on its tower, distributing electricity to the surrounding areas. We are also looking into whether payments were collected from local residents for these illicit connections," he added.

Authorities have escalated their efforts to combat electricity theft in Sambhal, which has resulted in considerable financial losses. The crackdown will persist until the region attains compliance with legitimate electricity usage, as per official statements.