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| J&K 'non-serious' in reducing mounting AT&C losses: CAG | | 49 percent still without meters, tampering common | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Dec 10: Jammu and Kashmir has not taken even a single significant step towards bringing down the Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses (AT&C).
R-APDRP scheme which was aimed at reducing AT&C losses to below 15 percent on a sustainable basis has not been rolled out completely in the state. Losses are mounting and there is no chance of Jammu and Kashmir being able to either tap these losses or bring them down significantly. Despite having been launched in the year 2008, the centrally sponsored scheme has failed to change the power scenario of Jammu and Kashmir.
Theft of power continues to be as high as it was in the year 2008 when the scheme Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) was launched. The losses which were as high as 72 percent in 2013-14 have come down but are still too high for a state like Jammu and Kashmir which stands nowhere when compared with bigger states of the country. The state was supposed to improve the AT&C losses scenario but it could not.
This revelation has been made by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its thirtieth report on the Performance Audit of Union Power Ministry. CAG has said that J&K's AT&C losses have come down during the last 8 years but not on the expected lines. State has failed to achieve metering targets which is one of the essentials of the R-APDRP. According to CAG, state had set the target of metering 1371 11 KV feeder installations but it could achieve just 19.62 percent of the target.
51.37 percent consumers have metered power connections in Jammu and Kashmir. With 49 percent population still drawing power from the unmetered connections, it is unlikely state would be able to achieve the targets set under R-APDRP. Power ministry had told Jammu and Kashmir government that unauthorised connections from the electricity supply system, tampering, by-passing of meters by the consumers etc., were different modes of theft of electricity leading to AT&C losses.
It has clearly told the state government that the theft of electricity can be checked by forming vigilance squads to conduct inspection of connections. It had added that speedy trial of offences relating to theft of power would act as a deterrent to repeated acts of theft of electricity. Power Ministry had advised the state that it can be achieved through the setting up of special courts as the existing judicial system is already burdened with large number of cases leading to delays.
Power ministry had further advised the state that formation of vigilance squads and the creation of special courts would help to check theft of electricity and thereby enable reduction of AT&C losses. But the state is yet to come with special courts. It has preferred delaying this major reform for the reasons best known to it. CAG has in its report added that the reasons for not setting up of the special courts were not available on record in the case of Jammu & Kashmir.
CAG has advised the state government to ensure 100 percent completion of metering so that verification of Baseline Data of Aggregate Technical & Commercial losses is completed, annual verification of Aggregate Technical & Commercial losses is done and to enable effective energy accounting and audit. It has added that union power ministry should use its good offices to set up the special courts and vigilance squads, based on population of project area, so that speedy trials of offences act as deterrent to theft of electricity thereby reducing the commercial losses.
It needs to be mentioned here that Union Ministry of Power had launched the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) in July 2008 with focus on establishment of base line data, fixation of accountability, reduction of AT&C losses upto 15 percent level through strengthening & up-gradation of Sub Transmission and Distribution network and adoption of Information Technology during XI Plan.
Projects under scheme were to be taken up in two parts. Part-A includes projects for establishment of baseline data and IT applications for energy accounting/auditing & IT based consumer service centres. Part-B includes regular distribution strengthening projects and will cover system improvement, strengthening and augmentation etc. |
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