If you are consuming power beyond the approved connected load, you may soon be held responsible for power theft. The Kerala State Electricity Board has plans to conduct surprise checks on residences and commercial establishments to ensure that power consumption is within the approved limit. Though these inspections are already being carried out, the board is planning to intensify the checks. The board, however, has given consumers time till February 28 to intimate the nearest KSEB office about any additional plug points installed without approval. KSEB officials suspect that half of the 80 lakh domestic consumers in the state have added more plug points in the past few years, and subsequently keep the board in the dark about the real daily energy demand. “We have no plans to harass domestic consumers. According to the existing Electricity Act, the onus is on consumers to intimate the board of any additional plug points created after getting power connection. But people seldom take this seriously. The absence of clear data about the real connected load by consumers of all categories often fail the power distribution planning of the board,’’ said Daya Pradeep C K, member (distribution), KSEB. According to a KSEB circular, consumers of all categories should get their additional connected load regularized before February 28. Anyone found drawing power beyond the declared connected load would be penalized. The KSEB, however, may extend the deadline by a month. Incidentally, the board has been waiting for the state regulatory commission’s nod to the amendments it had made in the “electricity supply code,” which would give it more teeth for penalizing erring consumers. Board officials said around 700 electrical sections of the KSEB have been conducting at least 20 random checks to identify excessive connected load, and several consumers were fined. During the previous LDF government’s term, too, the board had made a similar effort to resolve problems related to excess connected load. “We have been getting good response from consumers, especially from those who had availed power connections more than five or ten years ago. We can’t move forward without accurate data on power consumption,’’ board officials said. POWER POINTS Always contract the electricial wiring to a licensed electrician A licensed electrician should assess the connected load If your connected load is above the limits, inform the nearest electricity board office You may be asked to remit additional cash deposit for excess connected load