DGVCL losing fortune due to massive electricity thefts by illegal shrimp ponds in Surat

Surat : Massive power theft costs the Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL), a government-owned enterprise, a fortune every year. The DGVCL loses millions of rupees each year as a result of illegal shrimp ponds built on government land in the Surat district’s Olpad and Choriyasi talukas.
Electricity supply is critical in shrimp farming. Farmers must install aerators 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to provide the shrimps with the oxygen they require for proper growth. In addition, electricity is required to pump sea water into the ponds via electric motors and to power other equipment such as cold storage.
DGVCL has installed electricity connections to shrimp ponds that have been legally approved by the district administration. Those operating illegal shrimp ponds in Olpad and Choriyasi talukas, on the other hand, are tampering with overhead lines and electricity poles in order to steal electricity on a massive scale.
Darshan Naik, a farmer and cooperative leader, has written to the DGVCL’s Chief Engineer (vigilance) and the Superintending Engineer, highlighting the massive amount of electricity theft by illegal shrimp ponds established on government land in Choriyasi and Olpad taluka.
According to Naik, the massive electricity thefts by illegal shrimp ponds have resulted in incidents where the DGVCL’s electric transformers have caught fire and tripping incidents have become the norm. The villages namely Mor, Bhagva, Delasa, Mirjapore, Dandi, Saras, Kuvad, Kapasi, Kudiyana, Mandroi, Karanj, Tena, Lavachha, Hathisa, Sondlakhara, Aadmor, Barbodhan, Koba, Dumas, Bhimpore, Gavier, Magdalla, Junagam, Rajagri, Suvali, Abhava, Khajod, Jiav, and Budia are the highly affected villages due to the massive theft of electricity by the illegal shrimp ponds in Olpad and Choriyasi taluka.
“I have repeatedly complained to DGVCL’s top management about the illegal shrimp ponds stealing electricity worth crores of rupees per year,” Darshan Naik said. “The DGVCL is yet to take any action against the illegal shrimp ponds involved in power theft. Over two dozen villages are suffering as a result of power thefts.”