Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 8: Notwithstanding the State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s directions, the State Government has decided to continue with the arrangement whereby flat rates will be charged from the non-gazetted move employees. However, all the gazetted employees, non-move employees and other tenant consumers would have to pay tariff on metered rates.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that last year the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) had directed the Power Development Department to make metered rates applicable to all the move employees, who were otherwise paying their electricity charges on flat rates.
Though the Power Development Department vide Order No.168-PDD of 2012 dated June 1, 2012 made the SERC tariff rates applicable to all the move employees yet the decision was opposed by the Civil Secretariat Non-Gazetted Employees Union prompting the Government to revisit the Power Development Department’s decision.
Accordingly, the issue was discussed by the Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal with the Power Development and Estates Departments in two separate meetings held on September 13, 2012 and December 18, 2012 and finally it was decided to consider an alternate option as the PDD could not provide details of electricity consumed by and charged from the employees and Estates Department failed to furnish the details of quarters/flats occupied by move, non-move employees and others besides the information on dues on account of electricity charges paid and payable to PDD.
Thereafter, Rs 250 per month flat rate was fixed for one room tenement, Rs 400 per month for two room tenement and Rs 700 per month for three room tenement for the non-gazetted move employee only. It was decided that rest of the employees and other tenant consumers will have to pay tariff on metered rates.
“As the interim arrangement has been examined by the General Administration Department in detail, the Power Development Department is going to issue the requisite notification to make the same applicable”, sources said while disclosing that there would be review of the flat rate dispensation at the regular intervals depending on the timely and prompt payment of tariff so fixed for the move employees.
The Power Development Department will keep an account of monthly metered consumption and raise the bills in respect of each employee detailing actual power consumption, total amount of power tariff, the amount to be paid by the employees and net amount to be paid by the Government in the Estates Department, sources said, adding “the Finance Department will provide budgetary support to the Estates Department to the extent of power tariff to be paid to the Power Development Department beyond the flat rates fixed for one room, two room and three room tenements under occupation of non-gazetted employees”.
In response to a question, sources said, “instead of implementing the SERC directions, the State Government is going to affect meager enhancement in the flat rate slabs. Earlier, the flat rate for one room tenement was Rs 90, Rs 150 for two room and Rs 250 for three room”.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel