LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has issued detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) mandating the use of body-worn cameras by enforcement person-nel during inspection and anti-power theft drives. The move aims to bring transparency, accountability and legal robust ness to enforcement actions, a senior UPPCL official said. The SOPs apply to all discoms under UPPCL and cover vigi-lance teams, departmental teams and joint enforcement squads engaged in inspections and raids. The move comes after years of widespread complaints about UPPCL’s enforcement and vigi-lance teams harassing and extorting power consumers while raiding their premises for power theft. “We have supplied 300 body worn cameras, 64 each to Meerut, Agra and Varanasi dis-coms, 92 to Lucknow discom and 16 to KESCO. No enforce ment teams will raid or search any premises without wearing these cameras and follow the SOPs while doing so,” the official said.
Any enforcement action with out a functional body-worn cam-era will not be considered valid. In vigilance-led raids, the vigi-lance officer will wear the cam era, while in departmental inspections, the sub-divisional or authorised officer will do so. In Joint raids, the vigilance officer will wear the camera, and in their absence, the designated departmental officer will take charge. The camera must be switched on immediately upon reaching the inspection site and kept con-tinuously operational until the completion of the checking proc ess. All relevant activities, including inspection of equip ment, evidence of power theft or irregularities, and interaction at the premises, must be recorded, If any power theft or irregu-larity is detected, details of the seized material and evidence must be captured on camera. In cases where disconnection is carried out after inspection, the entire disconnection process must also be recorded.
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