Electricity Act bars PDD from continuing with existing practice
By Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 22: About 4.5 lakh non-metered electricity consumers across the State will not be entitled for the power supply beyond April 28, 2012. These include 3,99,697 domestic and 43,339 non-domestic/ commercial connections.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) in its first Tariff Order for 2007-08 financial year and subsequent Tariff Orders for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 had directed Power Development Department to complete 100 per cent consumer metering as a step towards energy accounting and reduction of power losses.
However, the time-limit in this regard was fixed when the Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Act was enacted by the State Legislature in 2010. Under the provisions of Section 49 of the Act, deadline of two years was fixed for metering all the un-metered connections across the State .
But despite this, no serious attention was paid by the Power Development Department (PDD) towards chalking out comprehensive metering plan and the deadline of two years is now expiring on April 28. “This was the response of the Department despite the fact that un-metered supply has been one of the factors responsible for such high loss levels in the State”, sources said.
In the prevailing circumstances, about 4.5 lakh un-metered connections across the State will not be entitled to get power supply beyond April 28 as per the provisions of Section 49 of the J&K Electricity Act. The Section 49 mandates that no licensee shall supply electricity after April 28, 2012 except through installation of a correct energy meter.
These un-metered 4.5 lakh connections, which will be legally not liable to get power supply after six days, include 3,99,697 domestic, 43,339 non-domestic/ commercial, 3,022 agriculture, 249 public street lighting and 598 LT public water works. These un-metered connections are consuming connected load of 344.86 Mega Watts (MW).
“The casual approach of the department towards metering of un-metered connections can be gauged from the fact that Power Development Department in its Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) petition for 2012-13 financial year has submitted that nearly three lakh un-metered consumers are targeted to be metered in 2012-13 financial year and approximately 1.5 lakh consumers will remain un-metered and efforts would be made to cover them by the end of 2013-14 financial year”, sources said.
Stating that State Electricity Regulatory Commission has also expressed grave concern over the approach of the Power Development Department towards metering exercise, which is otherwise very vital to check the losses, sources said, “the Commission has suggested the Department to approach the competent authority with a metering plan to get the deadline under J&K Electricity Act, 2010 extended”.
“But this via-media is not so easy as the State Legislature, which has the powers to amend the relevant Section of the Act, is not in session at present”, they said, adding “it is not understandable as to why this issue was not seriously pondered upon well in time and necessary step taken during the Budget Session”.
Responding to a question, they said, “now the Department has only left with option of amending Section 49 of the Act by virtue of an Ordinance, which is also going to take sometime”.
Had serious attention been paid by the Department towards the directions of SERC since 2007-08, such a situation would have not been erupted, sources said, adding “the submission made by the Department in the ARR petition for financial year 2012-13 that metering process will continue till the end of 2013-14 financial year indicates that there will be no appropriate loss reduction strategies and schemes, which are otherwise based on correct energy accounting”.
The SERC, in its order on Annual Revenue Requirement and Determination of Retail Tariffs for current financial year, has also observed, “it is unambiguously clear that PDD has not made any serious effort to reduce loss levels”.
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