UP: District Administration carries out anti-encroachment drive in Sambhal

Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 14 (ANI): Amid the ongoing tensions in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, the district administration on Saturday morning carried out an anti-encroachment drive in the Shahi Jama Masjid area.

The district administration team visited Sambhal to check on the noise pollution through loudspeakers, the Sambhal District Magistrate (DM) said, adding that they found that there was electricity (power) theft in the area.

“In the morning, we came to check whether loudspeakers are causing unnecessary noise (pollution). It was seen that electricity theft is happening here in large numbers. Electricity theft is happening in about 15 to 20 houses and religious places. When we reached a mosque, we found 59 fans, a fridge, a washing machine and about 25 to 30 light points and the meter was found switched off. An intensive checking campaign is going on,” DM Rajender Pensiya told ANI.

Meanwhile, Executive Engineer Naveen Gautam said that the district administration team tried to carry out an inspection of houses suspected of electricity theft, but there was a lot of resistance from the locals.

“There are some areas like Deepa Sarai and others, where electricity theft is taking place in most of the houses. We also tried to inspect these houses, but there was a lot of resistance and many times our teams were even beaten up. Now the administration is fully supporting us… We are now taking action against those who are involved in electricity theft… We are also taking preventive measures to prevent electricity theft,” Gautam said.

The Superintendent of Police (SP) in Sambhal said that the electricity department had requested the district magistrate to inspect areas where the electricity department officials were unable to visit due to incidents of assault.

“About two months ago, the electricity department had requested the District Magistrate about some areas like Timardas Sarai, Deepa Sarai, Turtipur Ilha, and Hindupura Kheda, where the electricity department officials are not able to go and there have also been incidents of assault on the electricity department officials…Two platoons of police have been deployed with them…Electricity department officials have imposed a fine of more than Rs 5 crore and more than 1200 cases of power theft have been registered in police stations,” Sambhal SP KK Bishnoi told ANI.

Earlier, DM Rajendra Pensia visited the contentious Shahi Jama Masjid area and ordered the removal of any encroachments on roads, sewers, water bodies etc. The Sambhal DM said that on paper, multiple encroachments are being seen around the Shahi Jama Masjid area.