PLN disconnects power at hotel, factory over illegal connections

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

A joint team from state electricity firm PLN and the National Police disconnected the electricity on Thursday at the Beverly Hill hotel and spa on Jl. Ladan 1 in Kota, West Jakarta, and temporarily disconnected the power supply to a chemical factory on Jl. Raya Serang in Tangerang for alleged illegal connections.

Joint team leader Harry Ronald Wattilete showed a copy of a statement made by the owner of the hotel and spa, PT Arifin Wijaya, acknowledging it had tampered with the meter and expressing its willingness to pay a fine of Rp 601 million (US$594,575).

"We discovered that they had broken all the seals protecting the meter ... The results of an analysis by our laboratory confirmed this finding."

He said that the management had promised to pay its dues before Aug. 5, but as of Thursday, it had failed to do so.

"Should the management want to be reconnected, then they will have to pay their debts first, as well as a new connection fee of at least Rp 82 million," Harry said.

The team also disconnected the electricity at a chemical factory owned by PT Indo Nan Pau Resins Chemical for attempting to defraud PLN.

The factory had reported that its meter had been stolen. This was the second time it had made such a report, claiming that as a result its electricity-use records for the last three years had also been lost.

"We later recognized this as being a new modus operandi to defraud PLN. Fortunately, we have back-up data which can be used as a basis for charging the customer," said the general manager of PLN's Greater Jakarta division, Fahmi Mochtar.

The company has been fined Rp 946 million.

PLN Jakarta said earlier that it would intensify its crackdown on illegal connections to contain soaring electricity abstraction following the fuel price rises and proposed electricity charge increases.

The company has offered cash rewards to people who provide accurate information on illegal connections amounting to 3 percent of the total fine paid by the violator.