Sarpanches issued recovery notices over power theft at public places

The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has issued recovery notices, Rs 4.62 lakh, to two sarpanches for electricity theft at public places. The Electricity Department has also recommended filing FIRs if the recovery is not made promptly.

The electricity theft came to the fore at Kusumbi and Kanwarpura villages in Sirsa district. In Kusumbi village, electricity theft was detected at a temple in March 2023.

The department has issued a recovery notice of Rs 2.70 lakh to Sarpanch Ved Prakash of Kusumbi.

Prakash said, “If electricity theft was detected in the temple, what role does the sarpanch or panchayat have in it? The department never informed me about the theft. I only found out about it after I received the recovery notice.”

Similarly, Kanwarpura’s former Sarpanch Poonam Devi was issued a recovery notice for Rs 1.92 lakh.

Poonam, who resigned from the post in June 2024, expressed her displeasure with the way the department had been handling the situation.

Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Rajesh Kumar said, “When electricity theft occurs at public places, the village panchayat is responsible. Either it identifies the person who committed the theft or compensate for the loss.”

He said the recovery action was taken under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, which holds institutions like the gram panchayats accountable if they fail to provide sufficient information about the thief.