More articles by

Ajay Uprety
Ajay Uprety

Religious influence

UP govt enlists religious leaders to curb rampant power theft

electricity Representational image

Over the past few decades, saying religion and Uttar Pradesh in the same sentence often meant bad news given frequent communal tensions in the state.

Now, however, the UP government is enlisting the help of religious leaders such as gurus, priests and maulvis to use their influence for a socially relevant purpose: curbing power theft.

Power theft has become a major menace in Uttar Pradesh causing great loss of revenue to the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation; according to an official estimate, the state loses approximately Rs 10,000 crore due to power theft annually. This figure could grow in the coming years if preventive measures are not taken.

The UP Power Corporation has approached religious leaders to curb power theft; these leaders will issue statements to portray power theft as a sin and crime and that people committing it would lose their standing in society. Moreover, the religious leaders have been asked to encourage people to pay their bills on time and take legal power connections. The Power Corporation also plans to rope in other social organisations in this campaign.

According to Alok Kumar, principal secretary (energy) and chairman of UP Power Corporation, through this move, consumers will be made to understand that power theft is a crime and it should be avoided at any cost.

It seems that the corporation has taken a cue from the ‘eradicate polio’ campaign in the state in which the government had sought help of religious gurus and maulvis to encourage people to embrace vaccination. The move had helped immensely and the exhortation by religious gurus had encouraged people in large numbers to opt for vaccination.

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