Muzaffarpur, Jan. 24: An operation launched a month back by the Special Task Force of Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB), Muzaffarpur, to stop power theft has left consumers in the district fuming.

The consumers, including the trading community, have decided to oppose the alleged arbitrary way in which the electricity officials slapped penalty and initiated legal action against them.

North Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBCCI) criticised the “highhandedness” and “whimsical way of functioning” of the power officials during the combing operations. NBCCI chairman Motilal Chaparia has sent fax messages to chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, seeking their intervention to stop the power officials from slapping penalty on the residents for no fault of the latter.

He alleged that most of the consumers were forced to pay heavy penalty for the negligence on part of the electricity officials.

According to sources, some consumers were receiving bills even as their meters were not functional. The sources added that there were instances of some consumers being charged with heavy amounts even as they had been away from homes for a long period of time.

TAEB general manager (GM) Mohammad Giyasuddin told The Telegraph that the combing operation had been introduced to check power theft and also stop anomalies in the electricity department.

BSEB (Patna) had decided to carry out combing operations under the supervision of Special Task Force officials. Giyasuddin added that the combing operation was aimed at assessing irregularities in electricity connections provided to the consumers.

He added that he has opened a complaint cell in his office to lodge complaints, if any, committed by the combing operation team. The members of the operation team have been reprimanded not to harass consumers on flimsy grounds.

The GM said the consumers have started turning up in large numbers to increase their meter consumption load on business and residential premises. “This is a welcome trend,” he said and added that consumers would be fined only if they were found indulging in power theft. “The team would charge penalty from the consumers, if the service wire from the pole is bypassed to the meter,” the GM said.

The GM said he has been monitoring the combing operation and added that the team would not harass consumers. He said the consumers have started depositing their outstanding bills and this has increased the revenue of BSEB. Last month, the board collected Rs 2 crore from the consumers under the outstanding head.

Meanwhile, former MLA Vijendra Choudhary has launched an agitation against the arbitrariness of the raiding team of BSEB. Choudhary said: “The consumers are being served inflated bills. The ongoing operation has created a fear among the consumers. Consumers are threatened of legal action and charged penalty for no faults of theirs. The BSEB should send genuine bills to the consumers.”

Choudhary has also sent a fax message to the chief minister demanding his intervention to stop the operation.