Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 27: The defunct State Electricity Regulatory Commission for the last around two years has restricted the State Power Development Commission not to seek its intervention for releasing of power usage charges worth crores of rupees from the Power Development Department (PDD).
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission is lying defunct after Basharat Ahmad Dhar completed his term as its chairman in December 2016.
Since then the government has failed to appoint its chairman and two members.
"Nobody is monitoring the electricity supply in the state. As per the rules, the Power Development Department can be summoned by the SERC and ensure better power supply is provided to the people," an official of SERC said.
As per the provisions of an Act it has been created under the commission, which is a statutory body that has to determine the tariff, regulate power purchase and electricity supply in the state.
As the commission is defunct, the State Power Development Corporation (SPDC) had decided to seek State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) intervention for releasing of power usage charges worth crores of rupees from the Power Development Department (PDD). "However as the commission is defunct, we are not able to seek its intervention," an official of SPDC said. The official said that SPDC has also failed to clear its water usage charges worth crores of rupees to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC).
The source said the Corporation decided to approach the SERC after it failed to pay water usage charges to the I&FC department. "We want to file a petition before the SERC as the Corporation has outstanding worth crores of rupees to I&FC. But there is nobody who could help us," the official said.
The Water Resources Act-2010 was implemented in the State seven years ago under which all the hydel power projects being operated in J&K have to seek the permission and have to pay charges as per the usage of water.
The SPDC is owned by the state government and was incorporated to takeover, execute, complete, operate and maintain all power stations and power projects of the state. |
