‘Rs 31000 cr power purchase liability on Govt’
*No power cuts in metering areas of Jammu from today
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 31: Claiming that there was a liability Rs 31,000 crores on the J&K Government on account of purchase of electricity from the Centre, Principal Secretary to Government, Power Development Department (PDD), H Rajesh Prasad today said that installation of Smart Meters was must in improving power infrastructure in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference along with Managing Director JPDCL, Shiv Anant Tayal here today, Prasad claimed that Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is around 55 % which is highest in the country. He said the reason behind this is the massive pilferage of the power including hooking and other means. There are some states which have just 6 %to 8 % AT&C losses.
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The Government of India has cautioned the J&K Administration to overcome these losses, otherwise the funds meant for improving power infrastructure will not be provided. They have fixed a target of containing these losses @ 10 to 15 % every year. The UT Government is bringing reforms like other states and installing Power Smart Meters, is the step in this direction so that Government could collect money/revenue against every single unit of power purchased by it from the centre, from consumers. The purpose is also to prevent theft of power in the J&K UT and bring down the losses, he maintained.
Claiming that there is a liability of around Rs 31,000 cores on the J&K UT Government, on account of electricity purchased from the Union Government, Principal Secretary said that in J&K hardly 50 % population/ consumers are covered through metering system. Rest 50 % are paying power bills on flat rate system. There is an urgent need to cover those consumers under metering system to contain losses, Prasad said.
The J&K UT is still in the pre-reforms stage and has launched massive Smart Metering installation operation on the advise of the Union Government for ensuring effective and transparent revenue collection system. The Union Government will release funds for power infrastructure in proportionate to the power losses in any state. Every state/UT is governed by the same rules, he added.
Principal Secretary claimed that in Jammu City, there will be no power curtailment from Sept Ist, 2023 in the areas/ localities where Smart Meters have been installed. He said the purpose of the Department is to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply to the people and not to harass them.
Referring to the allegations of inflated bills and faulty meters, Prasad said the Smart Meters are well tested and have good quality. Any body can test and compare readings with traditional meters. The old arrears are being adjusted in the new bills after installation of Smart Meters and that is the only reason behind some higher bills. The department people will satisfy the consumers if any doubt or alleged error arises, he added.
Prasad said during winters the power generation in J&K goes very low, nearly 2/3 rd of the actual generation. During that period UT Government is compelled to purchase power from the Centre, some times at higher rates. To over some this issue, the PDD has tried to arrange 3250 MW of power for that period, he claimed
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