Mahavitaran reduces distribution loss by 17.6%

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MahaVitaran) has managed to reduce its distribution losses by around 17.6 per cent in seven years since 2004-5. Officials from the state owned power distribution utility said that there were indications that the losses for the year 2011- 12 were likely to be lower by another one per cent.

A one per cent drop in the distribution losses adds around Rs300 crore to the bottom lines of the MahaVitaran.

Senior MahaVitaran officials attributed the decline in the distribution losses to the campaign against power theft carried out after the restructuring exercise, a drive to get electricity meters outside houses, a mass metering programme and a special drive to give connections to around 5.5 lakh agricultural users who otherwise used power illegally. A dedicated women squads — Damini squad — has also been formed to tackle irregularities in metering and billing.