The power discoms are battling the menace of illegal e-rickshaw charging facilities that cause an estimated loss of around Rs 120 crore annually besides posing safety risks in the national capital.

Delhi has around 1.6 lakh e-rickshaws out of which just 50,000 are registered with with Transport Department of the city government. The department has been conducting a drive to seize and scrap unregistered e-rickshaws.

The discoms and Power Department in the past tried to curb power theft in charging of e-rickshaws and address safety issues. Around 4,000 legal e-rickshaw charging connections have been given to individuals and operators. Each connection is capable of charging multiple e-rickshaws, discom officials said.

"Besides revenue loss, illegal charging and sub-standard batteries pose significant safety hazards," said a discom official.

Various incidents of fire and electrocution due to faulty charging facility have been reported recently in the city. Last week, a man was electrocuted while charging an e-rickshaw in northeast Delhi.

"This is a new kind of power theft being witnessed now. It's estimated that over 60 per cent of e-rickshaws are involved in power theft, resulting in a loss of 15-20 MW across the city, translating to an annual loss of around Rs 120 crore," they said.

Illegal charging through direct theft and the use of sub-standard batteries pose significant safety hazards. Exposed electricity wires left open during illegal charging and non-adherence to safety standards often cause sparks and short circuits, they said.

"Large-scale illegal charging of e-rickshaws at single, unplanned locations can also lead to breakdowns and voltage issues. Many e-rickshaws involved in power theft are charged in batches as part of an organized illegal network controlled by local strongmen, official sources said.  "E-rickshaw owners or drivers pay a fixed fee of Rs 200-300 per day per e-rickshaw to the 'parking and charging' mafia.

Charging usually takes 6-7 hours and occurs at night," they said.