Electricity piracy adds to CEB’s woes

• Rs. 25.7 million loss due to power piracy
• IDPs illegally tapping electricity,

By Isuri Kaviratne

Electricity piracy is proving to have a double edged sword to the public as well as to the Ceylon Electricity Board. While on the one hand losses to the Board are piling up, the sudden power fluctuations are causing damage to domestic electrical equipment.

R. Wickramarachchi, the head of the Investigation Branch of the Ceylon Electricity Board said in the first two months of this year, the CEB suffered an estimated Rs. 25.7 million loss due to power piracy,

Devices connected to the main electric wires to illicitly tap power Pix by Saman Kariyawasam

he added the last year the Board suffered a loss of Rs.127.1 million due to illegal electrical connections,.

While the CEB has expanded its raids to detect illegal connections, but still lacks manpower to step up its investigations.

Mr. Wickramarachchi said nine new investigative assistants to the provinces had been appointed to the provinces except for the northern province.

“Recently we appointed nine more investigative assistants for the provinces other than in the north. He added that this number was still insufficient and more man power was required to fulfill tasks more efficiently.

He complained that the situation of the CEB could worsen as the organisation was selling power at nearly half cost price. He said while a unit of electricity cost Rs. 14/- CEB sold it to consumers at Rs. 7.50 thereby making an initial loss.

He claimed “an appropriate sealing system needed to be introduced to prevent people making illegal connections”,

In a raid conducted in Kollupitiya, Pettah and Slave Island last week, 29 people were found having illegal electricity connections. This had resulted in a loss of over Rs. 11.6 million to the Board.

Mr. Wickramarachchi added that all 29 accused were to be prosecuted. The list of the 29 accused included owners of a night club, 2 luxury saloons, hotels, massage clinics and 2 houses in Cinnamon Gardens.

He added that the most surprising factor was that most people illicitly tapping power had a capacity to maintain a legal electricity connection.

B.V. Mahananda, Area Engineer of the CEB in Trincomalee said that 60 % of electricity imported to the area was being tapped by connecting devices to the main wire and getting a connection through it. “Some people adjust the meter in a way that it takes more time to complete the loop”, she said.

She said that most illegal connections posed a threat to the lives of people and caused damage to electrical equipment as well.
She said raids conducted in Mudcove, and Mahamayapura had resulted in 19 people being arrested while 34 had been arrested in the raids conducted in Muttur”, she said.

Prasad Rathnayake, the Area Engineer for Chilaw said many people had got support from officers the Electricity Board to tap electricity illegally.

He added that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) had illegally tapped electricity, but it was difficult to arrest them, as IDP camp members attacked officers of the board whenever they went to check the connections.

He emphasized that they needed more man power to operate efficiently.

H. Zoyza, the Area Engineer for Colombo North said that was impossible to stop people getting illegal connections as they do it continuously regardless of attempts to prevent the practice. According to him in the Bloemendhal area, 134 shanty dwellers had illicitly tapped power despite their efforts to prevent these people from doing so.

M. Rizvi, a resident in Bloemendhal said most electrical equipment in the area was damaged due to illegal electricity connections. He said it happened so often that people were used to it. They almost expect electrical equipment to get damaged whenever they switch them on he added.

Ven. Waskaduwe Sirirathana Thera of the Dhawalasinharamaya in Bloemendhal said illicit consumption of electricity had become a business in the area with connections available at Rs. 50/- per connection. Ven Waskaduwe Sirirathana Thera “Any person can get an illegal connection the by paying Rs.50/- to the individual who fixes the device to the main electricity line. But everyone has to get the connection through him, or else he disconnects the device”, Ven Waskaduwe Sirirathana Thera added that while this individual fixed these devices in daylight, no authority seemed to have the ability to take him to task. The Thera said power fluctuations occurred daily and had become a threat to the lives of the people in the neighbourhood. He charged that the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities was responsible for this state of affairs. M. Rizvi, a resident in Bloemendhal said that all the tenaments situated in an area referred to as ‘Somalia’, beside the Bloemendhal garbage dump had received electricity through illicit connections. The wires connected in a cob web- like fashion was clearly visible he said.