Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Feb 23: Taking serious exception to non compliance of its directives, the State Electricity Regulation Commission (SERC) has grilled the Power Development Department (PDD) and warned it of punitive action.
In its annual report for the year 2012-13 tabled in State Assembly today, the Commission maintained that it had issued number of directives to PDD through tariff orders from time to time which were not compiled by the Department.
Taking serious note of the same, the Commission has warned punitive action against the PDD under Sections 102 and 106 of the J&K Electricity Act , 2010 as it has expressed its total dis-satisfaction over the progress and reporting being made by PDD.
The Commission has issued further directives to PDD asking it to comply with the same in future.
In its fresh directives the Commission urged the PDD to file separate ARR petitions for transmission and distribution for financial year 2013-14.
It has urged the Department to put in place an accredited independent third party meter testing arrangement in all districts and also prepare norms for allowing consumers to purchase their own meters of approved specification of Competent Authority duly tested and certified by accredited third party testing agency.
It further suggested in situ meter testing facilities may be included in the same at Divisional and Sub -Divisional levels in the State.
The Commission instructed the PDD to constitute a Task Force in each circle to carry out massive raids on a regular basis to check pilferage of electricity. The officers in charge of the concerned circles have to be made answerable in case of detection of theft /pilferage of electricity in their areas of operation, besides booking those consumers committing theft, pilferage by taking penal action against them.
The Commission further instructed the PDD to establish the low load factor date base in the State and undertake testing of all those consumers in non domestic and LT Industries whose monthly load factor is less than one percent. The PDD was further asked to submit compliance report along with result of such testing and tariff petition for financial year 2013-14.
It asked the PDD to start maintaining its data base for reliable and concrete historical data as well as future data so that the same can be utilized by the Commission while determining multi year tariffs in future.
It also stressed the PDD to launch a massive awareness programme on energy conservation highlighting the energy conservation homes being implemented in the State. Energy audit of one large State consumer, one industrial consumer and one commercial consumer be undertaken under this programme.
Regarding rationalization of consumer categories and creation of data base the Commission directed the PDD to undertake reclassification of consumer categories in the State based on National/ State level power data in consultation with Central Electric Authority (CEA).
The Commission in its report has also pointed out that the distribution losses are very high in J&K. It suggested third party verification of the technical and financial data as a first step towards setting loss reduction targets for the utility and to establish authentic and reliable data base. In this regard, (SERC) stressed on compilation of baseline data for energy accounting and auditing.
The Commission in its report has submitted that the transmission and distribution network of the State Power Sector is inadequate even to meet the current requirements, as the same is not being augmented on regular basis.
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