Sir,
This refers to news item “PDD proposes substantial hike in power tariff for 2016-2017 FY” in this paper of March 12, 2016. Once again PDD is getting exposed for its all round failures to streamline is functioning so as to bring Jammu province out of crises on account of acute shortage of power. People still experience both scheduled and unscheduled daily power cuts and that too during unfavourable climatic conditions. It is astonishing as to how PDD could gather courage to propose further 20 percent hike in tariff without any concrete justification when it has altogether failed miserably to abide and keep its own promises….
* to provide e-meters to all consumers by 2015-16;
* to check illegal electricity connections with 50 percent domestic and commercial units without electronic power meters;
*hotels, business establishments, showrooms, industrial units, higher ups and other consumers availing domestic connections instead of commercial connections in well-knit nexus;
* liability of (+) Rs 37 cr of private firms repairing transformers.
* to check and curb high percentage of power theft;
* the objective of realizing power tariff through e-metering gets nullified in absence of 100 percent installation of e-meters;
* to clear liability of (+) Rs 7000 cr being the amount accumulated as power purchase from several companies and over increasing interest on pending amount.
From the details of liabilities and other expenditure it is clear to all consumers that PDD has not paid any attention towards exploring the resources of revenue generation whereas the sources have been put to all the exploitations for malpractices and corrupt practices bringing the Deptt under huge debt burden. The department as a whole has to put all the sincere and honest efforts to increase revenue collection from known sources and relieve the department of debt burden. There cannot be any reasonable justification for the department even to think about any further hike in tariff as the department. itself is responsible for overall failures for which consumers cannot be made to bear the unjustified brunt of any tariff hike and is unacceptable to one and all.
Yours etc…..
T N Raina
Adarsh Nagar, Bantalab, Jammu
Follow our WhatsApp channel