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| Despite installation of e-meters, curtailments continues | | It will take another year to complete exercise Chief Engineer | |
JAMMU | NOV 16
Notwithstanding its tall claims that after the installation of electronic metres, the consumers would be provided round the clock electricity, the PDP has failed to fulfill its commitment and is continuing to resort to five hour scheduled cuts apart from unscheduled cuts varying between 2-3 hours or more in Jammu city.
Even as the PDD authorities are claiming that 90 per cent work has been completed, the consumers are still being deprived of their legitimate right to have round the clock electricity.
Councilors of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) have alleged that the promises of the PDD department have proved fiasco; as the frequent unscheduled cuts and scheduled cuts are continuing as usual and on average electricity remains off for more than eight hours in a day across the city.
In an exclusive talk with the Early Times, some councilors have admitted that electronic meters have not been installed fully in their respective areas.
Former Mayor, Kavinder Gupta stressed that electronic meters were initially installed on the basis of pick and choose policy but it was only after protest raised by certain quarters, the PDD spread its drive to other places as well. He added that still some households, which despite not falling under the criterion of Below Poverty Line (BPL), have been left out. “At the outset of meter installation drive, PDD had claimed that people would enjoy 24 hour electricity supply as the drive gets completed. But now the department is intentionally leaving some households in every ward as a sign of excuse”, Gupta said and added that despite giving rent according to the reading of newly installed electronic meters the scenario of the electricity supply is the same as earlier.
Pawan Singh, councilor from ward-23 also said that the electricity supply has not improved. He said that in their ward there are some households which fall under the Below Poverty Line criterion and have been exempted from the drive and the department is charging rent from them at the rate of Rs 10 per bulb per month, but PDD is now backtracking from its stand of providing electricity for the 24 hours, on the pretext that the drive has not yet been accomplished.
Similar were the grievances of the people of wards where PDD has partly or fully installed the electronic meters.
The department is taking refuge in the excuse that it was running short of the devices, which has hampered the pace of drive.
When, Chief Engineer PDD, D S Pawar was contacted, he refuted the dearth of devices and said that unless and until electronic meters are installed across the city, electricity supply is not going to improve as they are overdrawing power from the northern grid. When asked about the time span within which drive would get completed, he said that it is likely to take another year.
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