BEST Fails to Recover Rs 42.23 Crore in Power Theft Fines Across Island City
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has struggled to collect dues from electricity theft offenders across Mumbai's island city, leaving Rs 42.23 crore in assessed penalties unpaid over the past two years.
While vigilance drives led to 3,669 power pilferage cases being booked and penalties totaling Rs 54.25 crore being issued, nearly 78 percent of these fines remain unrecovered. The utility has managed to collect only Rs 12.02 crore, representing an overall recovery rate of just 22 percent, further exacerbating the transporter's ongoing fiscal crisis.
Power theft detections were recorded across various parts of the city, spanning dense slum clusters, commercial centres, and industrial units. In central Mumbai's G-North ward, which covers Dadar, Dharavi, and Mahim, the undertaking detected 1,013 cases of power theft, resulting in an unrecovered backlog of Rs 12.3 crore.
The highest number of cases was recorded in the neighbouring F-North ward, encompassing Matunga, Sion, and Wadala, where 1,225 detections were made with Rs 6.5 crore remaining pending. In Byculla's E ward, 511 cases resulted in unpaid dues of Rs 14.9 crore. Unpaid fines were also recorded in south Mumbai areas, with Colaba, Fort, and Churchgate accounting for Rs 1.6 crore in outstanding penalties.
The undertaking faces challenges in recovering these funds as offenders exploit systemic loopholes. Many consumers pay an initial fraction of the fine under an installment agreement to restore their electricity supply, only to default immediately afterward. In other situations, after vigilance squads confiscate rigged meters, consumers abandon the connections entirely rather than paying the penalties, entangling the utility in extended legal disputes.
In response to the low recovery figures, a BEST committee panel has urged the administration to overhaul its debt collection systems, implement fast-track legal interventions, and aggressively pursue the outstanding amounts.
BEST committee member Ramakant Gupta noted that while vigilance drives and detection mechanisms are important to curb power theft, equal emphasis must be placed on ensuring timely recovery of dues, adding that holding chronic offenders accountable is vital to safeguarding public revenue.
