Power supply system is vital to the development and progress of society. The system in our country and our State is very complicated. While in other states, constant efforts are made at the Governmental level to bring about improvement in the system and reduce the bottlenecks our State is handling this issue with criminal negligence and apathy. This is despite the fact that the portfolio of power production and distribution remains in the charge of the Deputy Chief Minister.
Apart from Power Development Department (PDD) and State Power Development Corporation the State has also the third agency called State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) brought into existence through an Act of the Legislature. It is simple logic that the Legislature felt the need of having this regulatory body with the main purpose of improving and streamlining the functioning of the PDD and PDC. While reading between the lines we find that the SERC has been given vast powers and a considerable field of action. Although determining the tariff for the consumers is the primary function of the SERC yet the factual position is that it enjoys large powers like determination of wholesale, bulk, grid or retail tariff; determine the tariff payable for use of the transmission facilities; regulate power purchase and procurement process of the transmission and distribution utilities including the price at which the power shall be procured from the generating companies, generating stations or from other sources for transmission, sale, distribution and supply in the State; promote competition, efficiency and economy in the activities of the electricity industry to achieve the objectives and purposes of the legislation.
However, notwithstanding the vast scope of functionality and consequent administrative powers of the SERC, the Government has not been showing the interest in the Commission in real sense of the term. The Chairman of the SERC completed his term nearly a year ago and two members of the Commission had demitted office two years ago. Ever since, all the three senior positions of the Commission have remained vacant. How can an organization function properly without the top brass being in place? According to the Act that covers the SERC, a panel of names is supposed to be submitted six months ahead of the Chairman or the members of the Commission demitting office. At least two names for each vacant post have to be proposed to the Selection Committee. How strange that the posts of Chairman and two members remain vacant and the Government has not forwarded the panel of names to the Selection Committee. This shows that the Government is totally non serious about the imperative of making the SERC functional. The result is that the tasks enumerated above and to which the SERC is expected to address remain pending and undecided. What is more is that the SERC is without the Secretary as that post is also lying vacant for some time. In the absence of a Secretary, it has become difficult for the other two organizations to correspond with SERC. In the light of this situation, the question that will be asked is whether the organization called State Electricity Regulatory Commission has any utility? Obviously not, and, therefore, one comes to the conclusion that the Government should wind it up once for all. Either the Government is absolutely apathetic towards having the organization or that there are agencies working against it. There could be elements that would not want the organization to be there being an eye sore. The manner in which the Government is treating this organization is an insult to the legislature. By making it deliberately dysfunctional the Government indirectly conveys to the legislature that ultimately the will of the executive and not of the legislature will prevail. That is a great disservice to democratic dispensation and our national interests. If we are not able to remove bottlenecks and are not willing to let institutions and organizations function properly, we shall not be able to bring about real change in the power supply condition in the State. PDD is one department against which there is the largest number of complaints from members of civil society. Hardly are these complaints addressed. The SERC is one agency which could have become the platform for addressing the complaints and grievances of the civil society. That too is denied by the Government and it shows that the administration can be callous.
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