THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BALESHWAR, SEPTEMBER 7, 2026

TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL) will organise its third National Lok Adalat and Settlement Camp of the year on September 12 to facilitate speedy and amicable settlement of pending cases related to unauthorised use of electricity and power theft across its operational areas.

The day-long settlement drive will be conducted from 9 am to 5 pm at various Division and Sub-Division offices and designated court premises in Baleshwar, Kendujhar, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Baripada electrical circles, the company said in a statement.

Organised under the framework of the National Legal Services Authority, the initiative aims to provide consumers with a transparent, accessible and time-bound mechanism to resolve long-pending enforcement disputes.

Dedicated support units comprising enforcement officials, legal advisors and administrative personnel will be deployed at the designated venues to assist consumers with on-the-spot verification, documentation and final settlement procedures.

Unauthorised use of electricity under Section 126 and theft of electricity under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, attract penalties and other legal consequences, including imprisonment and disconnection of power supply, depending on the nature of the offence and applicable provisions of the law.

TPNODL said illegal consumption of electricity also contributes to aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses in the distribution network, placing an additional financial burden on the power system and adversely affecting service reliability.

Power theft can further contribute to overloading of distribution infrastructure, voltage fluctuations, transformer failures and service disruptions, thereby affecting the quality and stability of electricity supply to consumers.

"Ensuring a resilient, transparent, and equitable power network requires a collective commitment to ethical energy consumption. Power theft not only poses severe legal hazards for the offenders but also directly undermines power network reliability and places an unfair financial burden on honest consumers," TPNODL Chief Executive Officer Dushyant Kumar Tyagi said.

The utility has urged consumers having pending enforcement disputes to make use of the settlement opportunity, regularise their service connections and resolve their cases through the Lok Adalat.

TPNODL said the initiative is aimed at strengthening consumer cooperation and promoting responsible energy use while contributing to a more reliable and robust power distribution network across northern Odisha.