Wires hooked to the supply line in Motihari. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma

Motihari, July 7: Keen for an image makeover, the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) is going all out to improve the overall power scenario in the town.

The Motihari superintendent engineer of BSEB, Ramsudin Singh, said: “The replacement work of old supply wires has begun and sufficient stock of new wire has arrived.”

The new distribution lines would stop frequent tripping of lines. It would also help plug power theft to a certain extent.

A BSEB employee said several people in the town and in other parts of the district steal power with the help of hooks fixed on the supply wires. The hook-less new wires would put brakes on power pilferage.

Power theft is rampant in Motihari. Hooking of supply line can be seen in almost every locality of the town, the employee said.

He added that the board was aware of the fact that a number of bona fide power consumers in every lane of the town steal power to run their water pumps.

The superintendent engineer said: “The board is taking the issue of power theft seriously and would tighten noose around all those involved in the foul practice.”

Sources said AK Constructions, a Patna-based company, has been asked to look into the proportionate distribution of power in the urban and rural areas besides keeping vigil on the rampant power theft, which bleeds BSEB.

If the work undertaken for the improvement of the infrastructure succeeds, the board would be able to save a substantial amount of electricity lost to power theft.

Checks would also be put on the non-utilisation of power and its waste because of technical snags, the sources said.

Plans are also afoot to set up power sub-stations in every block headquarters. At present only few blocks in the district have power sub-stations.

AK Constructions would also conduct a survey in the rural areas of the district, which do not have electricity, the sources said.