For two consecutive years, the power generation and the distribution tariff could not be revised for reasons better known to the State Government but generally attributable to the feebleness of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission(SERC) and practically no steps initiated to invigorate it or revive it to be operational since December 2016 in the real sense. The result is the huge revenue loss to the Government which it can ill afford to loose, even to the extent of a single Rupee, looking to the funds crunch with which it is grappling with, but putting in half baked efforts and which make most of the projects of public convenience and infrastructural development jump many a time line, granted periodically as a last resort.
The term of the Chairperson of the SERC ended in December 2016 and the two members on the commission, had ended their tenure way back in 2014 . Though Power Tariff petitions for the year 2017-18 were filed by the Power Development Department and Power Development Corporation before the Secretary of the Electricity Regulatory Commission but the same proved as a wasteful exercise as the Commission being without the controlling authority and other members, the same could not be disposed of.
This shows how much has the carefree approach now taken the turn of confusion and skepticism in the corridors of the State administration which perhaps are not conversant with the elementary requirement of diarizing the priorities like the one under reference and where the question of earning revenues are concerned . In other words, the preparatory arrangements are not made to post a substitute Chairperson against the one who completed the term so that the SERC remained a continuous entity as required and provided for under relevant laws.
The maxim that revenues not earned are revenues lost, can be interpreted the other way too,that deferred revenues earning too is revenue loss . Technically, revenue loss occurs due to heavy amount of operating expenses and low turnover or low sales. Here it is double edged effect , operating expenses are increasing while sale proceeds are not commensurate with input costs as also these are not promptly received too. In a responsible Government set up , the losses could be recovered from those who are found responsible for not having acted in time to replenish the vacant seats of the Chairperson and the members on the Commission.
Looking at the problem from the other side, even if a minor adjustment , even for name sake is effected in the power tariff which is not felt even remotely by the consumers , that even could lead to earning of some more revenue in crores of Rupees for the Power Development Department than nothing in its absence. Similarly, revision in generation tariff amounts to financially empowering the Power Development Corporation. That could help putting money in projects which are under construction to help them reach completion levels well in time.
The ground realities are dismal and the carefree approach, perhaps knowingly towards the Commission issues, is responsible for the Government denying itself the rightful revenue gains and also not providing a platform to the consumers to air their difficulties in respect of supply and transmission related issues with the Power Development Department.
To keep the SERC in a state of dormancy since Dec 2016 and thus not paving way for revision in power tariff which otherwise is since due, could also be attributable to giving a sense of the feeling to most of the consumers,that a costly utility of unavoidable nature like electricity was optional as regards paying for it and paying commensurate with its cost of production plus the overhead expenses for making it reach up to the houses, offices, shops etc . It also could cause dissension among those consumers who pay regularly and on time but face unusual power cuts. The need of the hour is to regulate the entire system and empower it too, so that due revenues to the Government, the PDD etc were deposited in the Government coffers and uninterrupted power supply ensured to consumers which should be the ultimate goal of the Government.
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