The Hindu : New Delhi News : BSES to challenge decision to withdraw CISF cover

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BSES to challenge decision to withdraw CISF cover

Staff Reporter

“A huge setback to the success of public-private partnership”

Home Ministry’s order is a violation of 2004 Supreme Court order: BSES
“The decision to withdraw the cover altogether has came as a total shock to us”

NEW DELHI: Power distribution company BSES has decided to challenge the Union Home Ministry’s decision to withdraw the Central Industrial Security Force cover made available to it so far for its operations in the Capital.

In a statement on Friday, the company said the Home Ministry’s order was “tantamount to violation of a 2004 Supreme Court order that directed the Union and State Governments to provide necessary police protection to officials of NDPL and BSES -- as may be required by them in their anti-power theft drives”.

Referring to the order, a senior BSES official said: “It’s a huge setback to the success of the public-private partnership in Delhi’s power sector.”

“We were earlier told that the CISF cover is only being withdrawn on a temporary basis -- till the Lok Sabha elections are over. This decision now [to withdraw the cover altogether] has came as a total shock to us. It will be a huge setback for us in our drive against power theft. The decision may undo all the good work done by BSES on the power theft front in the past two-three years. Sans any protection now we may not be able to carry out raids in many of the theft-prone areas,” said the official.

“We plan to appeal to the authorities concerned against the order. Under the agreement, services of the CISF had been provided to the discoms for a five-year period. It’s not fair for the service to be withdrawn after just a two-three-year period,” added the official.

The CISF aided the discoms in the anti-theft drives, carrying out raids, searches and seizures in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003, and in taking action against people obstructing the officials from carrying out their duties and registering cases under appropriate provisions of the law against such people.

Each of the three power discoms in the Capital had been provided a CISF company comprising 114 officials to assist their enforcement teams in their drive against power theft.

Discom officials said that without the CISF cover the enforcement teams would now be susceptible to mob violence. “For the safety of their personnel, discoms (including BSES) often requested the Delhi police to provide personnel to accompany their teams on power theft raids, especially in the high theft-prone areas. Often due to their official engagements the overworked policemen weren’t available.”

Officials said the CISF cover gave much needed impetus to the discoms’ drives against power thefts. “With the CISF by their side, Delhi discoms were able to reduce AT&C losses to 20 per cent (from a high of 63 per cent in 2002),” they added.

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