Jaipur: In a first-of-its-kind crackdown on criminals, electricity supply to 371 history-sheeters and listed drug peddlers in Jhalawar district was cut off Wednesday under ‘Operation Urja Prahar’. The drive resulted in imposing penalties of Rs 1.20 crore on offenders for illegal power connections. The joint crackdown was carried out by the Jhalawar police and the Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (JVVNL). For the operation, JVVNL deployed 48 engineers, including junior to senior officials, to prepare vigilance checking reports (VCRs) of illegal connections.Jhalawar SP Amit Kumar told TOI that the idea took shape after district authorities demolished encroachments of two brothers booked under the NDPS Act on Sept 12. “During the drive, we found they were using power through illegal connections. We imposed a penalty of Rs 63,000. We then approached Discom chairperson Aarti Dogra for support as several other suspects were involved in similar thefts,” he said.As part of the campaign, 48 teams of 170 JVVNL officials, aided by 350 district police personnel, carried out checks at 660 locations linked to history-sheeters, hardcore criminals and notorious drug peddlers. A dozen executive and assistant engineers were sent in from neighbouring Kota and Baran districts. The Jhalawar district was divided into seven zones for the crackdown.Kumar said action was taken under provisions of the Electricity Act, with fines totalling nearly Rs 1.20 crore imposed. Some of the suspects include Mansab Ali of Bhawani Mandi, fined Rs 66,000 for using illegal power to run a water plant; the family of Sagar, in judicial custody under Rajpasa (Rajasthan Prevention of Anti Social Activities), fined Rs 85,000; history-sheeter Akram of Pidawa, booked for illegal power use at two homes; and Ashfaq alias Akram of Nayapura, caught diverting load to three luxury houses and six shops.‘Operation Urja Prahar’ was aimed at cutting the rampant use of illegal power supply by criminals and mafias for their illicit business, he said. “Most cases involved illegally using power through a hook, whereas there were also cases of power diversion wherein the accused, despite having a legal connection, were using an illegal power supply source also,” Kumar said.
