Illegal power connections to be regularized under CEA

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 25: To ensure uninterrupted power supply and bring down power pilferage, the Government has decided to ensure strict enforcement by enabling provisions of Central Electricity Act in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per an order issued by the Government, all the Power Distribution Corporations of J&K have been directed to ensure metering of all industrial and commercial establishments within a period of two months.
“All industrial & commercial establishments/general purpose bulk/UT/ Central consumers across the UT of Jammu & Kashmir shall be metered within a period of two months. There shouldn’t be any establishment consuming power, unmetered”, the order said.
The officials have been directed to conduct special drives in their respective jurisdictions to ensure metering and collection of dues in a time bound manner.
“There are a large number of electrified households in the UT, without metering and electricity dues are realized on flat rate basis. A huge power consumption and power theft has been observed in such cases. Massive enforcement drives will be launched and physical audit of each households be ensured and load agreement revised in all such cases based on average power consumption, so as to realize flat rate revenue based on actual units consumed by households, till such households are fully metered”, the order said.
The concerned officials have also been directed to ensure stringent punishment to the violators of electricity under Central Electricity Act.
“All un-authorized power connections across the Union Territory of J&K will be regularized under the provisions of Central Electricity Act. The defaulters, if any, will also be penalized stringently under the enabling provisions of the Central Electricity Act”, the order said.
Accordingly, the officials have also been directed to make concerted efforts for improving the collection and billing in all such feeders where AT&C losses of more than 50% have been noticed.
In an another order, the Government has directed all the controlling officers responsible for transfer and posting of employees of PDD/Corpor-ations/Projects to ensure transfer of overstayed staff from their current postings within a period of one month.