Panaji: The Goa Electricity department has
been found to be lenient and sympathetic towards people
involved in power thefts, due to which the state suffered
revenue losses of Rs 2.78 crore, as per the latest CAG report.
The department, in a reply to CAG has said that these
power thefts were not "intentional".
The CAG has stated the department had withheld itself
from booking people involved in theft cases under Section 135
of the Electricity Act 2003, which attracts imprisonment.
It also failed to refer these cases to police, thereby,
adopting a lenient view towards the pilferers of electricity,
the CAG pointed out.
The audit report, which was tabled on the floor of the
House yesterday, said the department`s act of ignoring
provisions under the Act to deal with power theft has left the
state with a revenue loss of Rs 2.78 crore during 2006-11.
"During the period from April 2006 to March 2011, the
meter, relay and testing (MRT) division of the department had
detected 453 cases of theft of energy", the CAG noted.
The department recovered energy charges of Rs 67.73 lakh
in 141 cases.
"These cases were neither reported to the police for
further action nor any compounding charges collected, thereby,
absolving the persons involved in the t
heft cases from
criminal liability," the report said.
The department also failed to comply with codal provisions
which led to this loss of Rs 2.78 crore by way of compounding
charges, it added.
The CAG has quoted section 135 of the Act as per which
consumers will have to be levied compounding charges at the
prescribed rates.
After CAG`s initial queries, the department has told the
authorities that the assessment of loss due to non-compounding
charges was made but they were yet to be recovered.
PTI
