* AEE, AE among 4 attached; enquiries ordered
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 21: Unearthing well knit nexus between high-end consumers like hotels and business establishments and officials of the Department, the recently constituted Special Enforcement Wing of the Power Development Department has carried out raids in different parts of the State during the past few days and imposed penalty worth over Rs 2 crore on account of major violations. Besides initiating enquiries against several erring officials, the senior officers of the Department have also ordered attachment of an Assistant Executive Engineer and Assistant Engineer among other staff.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that with the approval of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who is also holding the portfolio of Power Development Department, a Special Enforcement Wing was recently constituted on the pattern of such an independent wing in several States of the country and the officers of the Wing were issued clear directions to carry out inspections/ raids at large scale in the length and breadth of the State in order to tighten noose around those indulging in various violations and power theft with impunity.
The Special Enforcement Wing has carried out inspections/ raids at prominent business hubs of the State during the past few days and unearthed well knit nexus between the high-end electricity consumers like hotels, showrooms and other business establishments and the engineers and sub-ordinate staff of the areas concerned, sources said.
“Much to the surprise of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and senior officers of the Power Development Department, several startling facts have came to the fore during the inspections, which clearly indicate that officials of the Department are hell bent to fill their pockets at the cost of the State exchequer by allowing the high-end consumers to use electricity without paying the charges as per the exact consumption”, they further said.
During surprise inspections in Chand Nagar, an area adjacent to the Jewel Chowk, the Special Enforcement Wing found majority of the hotels and business establishments indulging in major violations, sources said, adding some of the hotels and other establishments were found having domestic electricity connections instead of commercial connections. The tampering of electronic meters and parallel lines without intimation to the Department were the other violations detected during the inspection in this area.
In response to a question, they said that Hotel King Lodge, Hotel Sixer, Hotel Jagdamba and Hotel India Pride were the main violators in this area. “The penalty on account of violations in Chand Nagar and adjoining areas by the hotels and other business establishments has been worked out at Rs 25 lakh”, sources added.
Similarly, major violations were also detected in several showrooms and other business establishments in Raghunath Bazar area, where the penalty has been worked out at Rs 23 lakh, sources said, adding in this main business hub of the Jammu, the violations include tampering of electronic meter, by-passing of meters and undisclosed load.
The violations by the hoteliers were grave in the hill resort of Patnitop, where majority of the hotels including the reputed ones were found having domestic connections instead of commercial ones, sources informed, adding “in some of the cases, either the exact load was not disclosed or the meters were tampered with”.
“The intensity of power theft can be gauged from the fact that some hotels were found paying monthly bill of only Rs 1400 despite having more than 25 rooms”, sources disclosed, adding “the penalty in case of violations in Patnitop area has been worked out to the tune of Rs 50 lakh”.
As such major violations were going un-noticed till date due to nexus between the engineers and subordinate staff of the concerned PDD unit, the Department has ordered immediate attachment of Assistant Executive Engineer, Romesh Chander Anthal, Assistant Engineer, Rajesh Sharma, Foreman Surinder Kumar and Meter Reader, Babu Ram with the Chief Engineer, System and Operation Wing, Jammu, sources said.
Altaf Hussain, Secretary (Power) has been appointed as inquiry officer to initiate disciplinary proceedings against these officers/officials.
In the meantime, Yashpal Thakur, AEE ED Batote and Vikash Khajuria, AE ED Batote will look after the work of AEE ED-Udhampur, SD Chenani and AE, ED Udhampur, SD Chenani respectively in addition to their own duties till further orders.
In Kashmir valley, the Special Enforcement Wing has carried out inspections/ raids in Industrial Estate at Rangreth and business establishments at Boulevard, Srinagar and all types of major violations were detected in several industrial units and business establishments, sources said, adding “the penalty on account of violations in Rangreth and Boulevard have been worked out to the tune of around Rs 1 crore”.
Responding to a question, sources said, “senior officers of the Power Development Department have issued orders for detailed enquiries into the nexus between high end consumers and officials of the Department at all these places and on the outcome of the probe, stern action would be taken against the erring officers”.
When asked about the continuation of the inspections by the Special Enforcement Wing, sources said, “there are clear instructions to the Wing to leave no stone unturned to tighten noose around those indulging in major violations in connivance with the officials of the Department”.
“The bodies representing business establishments both in Jammu and Kashmir valley should extend cooperation to the Power Development Department’s initiative in detecting major violations as this would be for the betterment of the common masses and those genuine business establishments and hoteliers, who have been facing power crisis due to the follies of others”, sources stressed.
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