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| 'Don't blame consumers for power losses' | | SERC hits out at PDD | | Saqib Junaid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 16: The State Electricity Regularity Commission (SERC) has asked the PDD that it should not blame consumers for the power losses.
It has further directed that PDD's 'inefficiencies' should not be passed on consumers by power cuts instead it should go for 100 percent metering.
The J&K has the highest AT&D losses in the country around 50 percent.
The PDD has been justifying these losses with non-judicious use of electricity saying consumers have been resorting to power pilferage. The PDD has been issuing statement that the losses incurred by the department compel it to go for the curtailment particularly during the summers in Jammu and in winter season in the valley when the power system has to meet the maximum demand of the public seeking relief from the worst weather conditions of heat and cold the power system is at its worst. It says that high percentage of AT&C losses was due to the pilferage of the electricity.
However, the SERC has ruled out that loss levels in the state were because of injudicious use of electricity and consumers should not be blamed for that.
The SERC according to official documents has asked the PDD that consumers shall not be burdened with the inefficiencies of the department to reduce the loss levels.
"It is the responsibility of the PDD to carry out metering of all unmetered consumers instead blaming consumers for injudicious use of electricity," the documents say.
There has been reduction in T&D losses over the years. In 2011-2012, there were 73 percent losses were recorded which has now reduced to around 50 percent. But there has been no improvement in power supply in the state with majority of areas facing 10 to 15 hour power curtailment.
The State government has set 2019 a deadline for metering of all commercial and non-commercial consumers in the state.
The state had 526,073 domestic metered consumers in 2010-2013 and 559,342 unmetered consumers. However, in the 2013-2014 fiscal, there were 780,340 metered consumers and 716,861 unmetered consumers.
The PDD had projected that 1, 76,432 expected commercial consumers would be metered by 2016. It has set up the target of installing metres to all households whose numbers are expected to reach 1,733,904.
Sources said the central power ministry has asked the state government to improve revenue recovery and check the pilferage, which the PDD says is a major cause of AT&D losses.
Since 2005 the state has purchased power worth almost Rs. 17000 crores power liabilities have gone upto Rs. 7000 crores.
An official of PDD said cheapest electricity was being provided to the consumers in the State.
He said the installation of metering would reduce the power pilferage and people would get 24-hour power supply.
It would be worth to mention with summer season at its peak, the power crisis in Jammu has worsened with the gap between demand and supply has touched around 140MW resulting in unbridled unscheduled power cuts, While metered areas have been facing frequent Distress Curtailments especially during the night hours, the unmetered areas are being subjected to both scheduled and unscheduled power cuts of more than 8 hours a day. |
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