GREATER NOIDA: The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has intensified its crackdown on electricity theft in high-loss areas of Gautam Budh Nagar, with vigilance and departmental teams detecting illegal power consumption at 14 premises during a joint checking drive conducted across parts of Greater Noida, including Dadri over the last two days.Overall, electricity theft involving a combined load of 38.46 kilowatt (kW) was detected at the premises during the joint action and 14 people were booked, according to the discom officials. (HT Archive)Overall, electricity theft involving a combined load of 38.46 kilowatt (kW) was detected at the premises during the joint action and 14 people were booked, according to the discom officials.“Cases are being registered against all accused under Section 135 of the Electricity Act at the Anti Power Theft police station in Sector 63,” an official from urban electricity distribution division (raid), Noida told HT, requesting anonymity.Vigilance and departmental raid teams inspected the A-1 Part-7 and Khatu Shyam areas of Roza Jalalpur village, which fall under under Bisrakh police station and are supplied power by the 33/11 kilovolt (kV) Eteda substation, officials said.“During the checking, electricity theft was detected at 11 premises where consumers were allegedly using power illegally with a combined connected load of around 29 kW (kilowatt),” said Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) chief engineer Noida zone, Sanjay Jain in a statement.In a separate action, vigilance teams subsequently inspected Kidwai Nagar area that falls under Dadri police station and is supplied power through the 33/11 kV Chitehra substation.“During the drive, three premises were found involved in electricity theft with an alleged illegal connected load of 9.46 kW,” the chief engineer added.Officials said anti-theft drives in high-loss areas will continue in the coming days as part of the department’s efforts to check illegal consumption and minimise revenue losses.The discom officials have also appealed to consumers to use electricity only through authorised connections and installed meters, stating that power theft is a punishable offence.