Are these admissions of electricity theft in India?
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Transmission losses are huge: some result from ageing infrastructure, but many are due to electricity theft by politically connected individuals who give away electricity cheaply, or even for free, in return for votes. Customers who fail to pay bills on time ? not least state-owned companies ? are another culprit.
And Inferior equipment?
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Serious allegations of corruption resulting in inferior equipment being bought, including high-voltage switch gear and protection devices, have surfaced in the past.
The authorities have also been blamed for the hasty implementation of unproven and unreliable technology across the national grid. As usual, the government dismissed all criticism.
But now that the skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard, it is time the policymakers handled the entire issue in disaster management mode.