Ranchi: The Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) has reported a reduction in power theft and commercial losses following the installation of smart meters and the conversion of low-tension (LT) bare wires into aerial bunch (AB) cables across the Ranchi zone and other parts of the state in recent years.
According to JBVNL, aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses in Ranchi dropped from 30–31% in 2024 to 22–23% in 2025. Officials estimate that once all LT lines are fully converted into AB cables and all smart meters function in prepaid mode, AT&C losses could further decline to around 15%.
JBVNL officials said 800 to 1,000 thefts were caught every month during raids earlier. Currently, the figure has reduced by nearly 80% with only 100 to 200 cases being reported in the city every month. The installation of AB cables has been a game-changer as they have curbed the rampant hooking of LT lines in residential areas, the officials said.
Ranchi alone has seen the installation of 3.50 lakh out of 3.60 lakh smart meters, of which three lakh are now prepaid. In prepaid mode, meter tampering and bypassing have become nearly impossible with all data being monitored online.
Speaking to
TOI, Manmohan Kumar, the general manager of JBVNL’s Ranchi supply area board, said, “The system not only ensures real-time tracking of consumption but also automatically disconnects supply once the prepaid balance runs out.”
Statewide, JBVNL has already installed 71,000 circuit km of AB cables, with an additional 6,622 circuit km added this year under the revamped distribution sector scheme, taking the total to nearly 78,000 circuit km. In Ranchi, major divisions have seen scale conversion consisting of east with 252 km, west with 251.01 km, Kokar with 244 km, central with 229.5 km, new capital with 316 km, and Doranda with 486 km.
The smart meter rollout is also progressing rapidly, with a target of 18.63 lakh installations. As of July, 7.70 lakh smart meters have been installed across the state. At the distribution level, out of the 2.68 lakh transformers installed in the state, over one lakh have been fitted with meters, helping JBVNL track feeder-wise theft and pinpoint problem zones.
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