Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 12: Power Development Department (PDD) has put onus of prolonged outages of the transmission system on the Government on the ground that funds being released for the maintenance of grid sub-stations and transmission lines are not sufficient and department was facing many difficulties on this account.
The department has conveyed this to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) in the petition for Annual Performance Review for Financial Year 2014-15 and Tariff Revision for Financial Year 2015-16.
The Commission had directed the Power Development Department to submit a status report on proper up-keep and maintenance of transmission lines and grid stations. The SERC had also asked the PDD for maintenance of adequate spares and transformer capacities to prevent prolonged outage of the transmission system.
“Periodic maintenance of grid sub-stations and transmission lines is being carried out regularly. However, sufficient maintenance grants as per required norms don’t remain available with the department therefore the department faces difficulties on this account”, the PDD said in the petition while responding to the directions of the SERC.
About establishment of two Emergency Restoration Systems (ERS) one each for Jammu and Kashmir regions, which was the directive of the SERC, the PDD said, “the funds for procurement of ERS have been earmarked and the department has approached Power Grid Corporation of India Limited for procurement and the same will be put in place shortly”.
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier there was no positive response from PDD in this regard and things started moving only when the SERC warned of taking punitive action as envisaged in the Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Act, 2010.
As far as directions vis-à-vis transmission loss and power system studies are concerned, the PDD no doubt has carried out some exercise but when system studies for determination of transmission loss in the system through scientific methods and energy audit for estimating the actual transmission loss level for the base year would become reality remains an unanswered query.
Similarly, no schedule has been fixed for submission to the SERC the map of the transmission system showing accurately the spread of the existing transmission system in the State, transmission system under implementation and the proposed transmission corridors. “The draft proposals in this regard have been prepared and submitted to the Central Electricity Authority for its approval”, the PDD has said briefly in response to these directives.
Not only on these directives, the PDD is also going very slow on the implementation of one more important direction of the SERC, which keeping in view the consumer interests, had on November 25, 2014 directed the Power Development Department’s authorities to establish statutory institutions of Consumer Grievances Redressal Forums (CGRFs).
As per Sub-Section 5 of Section 36 of Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Act, 2010, the PDD is required to establish a forum for redressal of grievances of the consumers. But despite repeated reminders from SERC this provision has not been adhered strictly till date.
“This indicates that protection of consumers interest, which otherwise is a fundamental aspect of the power reforms programme, has no taker in the Power Development Department”, sources said, adding “due to this the grievances of the consumers remain un-addressed for days together”.
As per the provisions, the SERC is required to establish ombudsman to redress the grievances of the consumers, who are aggrieved by non-redressal of grievances by Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum. But in the absence of CGRF the SERC is unable to appoint Ombudsman. Due to this, the Commission is feeling embarrassed while mentioning “nil” progress in its reports to the Appellate Tribunal of Electricity.
“Though a call centre was established by the PDD in the recent past to listen the grievances of the consumers but this was only a superficial exercise keeping in view repeated protests by the people over prolonged delay in redressal of their grievances”, sources said.
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