news details |
|
|
| Metering and Power Cuts. | | | vikram gour. | 8/24/2011 10:54:27 PM |
| Metering of electric installations was taken up by PDD almost 7-8 years back with great fan fare to ensure that every consumer of electricity pays for whatever one consumes and improve its ever falling revenue. Not that earlier all the installations were unmetered but the meters, wherever installed, were of ‘out dated models’ and recording of electricity consumption was not accurate. In fact half of the installations were not even metered and the PDD was losing very heavily due to theft and misuse of electricity. The losses were of the order of more than 70%. Also the unchecked and meter less use of electricity was heavily overloading the system consequently effecting the quality of supply as far as voltage and continuity of power supply was concerned.
Although, the Central Electricity Authority CEA was after the PDD to meter power supply right from the source of supply to the receiving Grid Stations and the energy supplied for distribution upto the consumer end, yet the PDD was dilly dallying to completely meter its system and the losses were mounting year after year. The reasons were/are more political than administrative or technical. Large part of illegal users was the ruling party’s vote bank and the ruling dispensation did not want to antagonize their voters. PDD being a government deptt had to go by undeclared policy of the ruling party.
However, 7-8 years back the PDD decided to install Electronic Meters on all power consumers both already metered and unmetered. There was great resistance from the unscrupulous consumers who were enjoying free use of unmetered supply in connivance with the PDD staff. This lobby was so powerful that some of the ministers in the government prevented the PDD from installing the meters in their constituencies’. The metering process was stopped after metering about 22% installations both in Jammu and Kashmir. The reasons were more than one including political, bungling in purchase of meters and resistance of departmental staff.
However the metering was resumed and consumers were even offered incentive of ‘no power cuts’ in completely metered areas. This certainly was a great offer for genuine consumers but the unscrupulous were still not interested. But a substantial progress in metering was made. Over 50% installations were metered and there was quite a salutary effect on both in reduction of electricity consumed and the revenue realized. The departmental staff also exercised quite effective check on consumers. Consequently the power cuts got reduced to minimum.
Suddenly the metering process was put on back burner and the metering almost stopped. As the authorities, that be, slowed down on metering, the field staff too came back to its old routine of conniving with the unscrupulous consumers with the result that system again started getting overloaded beyond the capacity of installed infrastructure/equipment.
With coming in of summers as the energy consumption started increasing with air conditioners running full the power cuts had to be enforced to save the equipment from damage. The genuine users in fully metered colonies started complaining that they were promised ‘no cuts’ why are they being subjected to power cuts?
The reasons were obvious. With metering ‘on hold’ and both field staff and unregistered consumers were back to their old game of ‘making hay while the sun shines’ and with unchecked use of electricity the system was getting overloaded and the PDD had to resort to ‘power cuts’.
During the public hearing of application by the PDD for revision tariff before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) the entire lot of public Representatives were demanding 100% metering to effectively regulate the power supply. Surprisingly it was PDD that was showing their inability to immediately meter the entire system.
Now it appears that it is upto the consumers to save themselves from the repeated power cuts by seriously resorting to ‘conservation of energy’ by using minimum power and switching off power when not required especially during the peak load hours in the morning and evening. The PDD, it appears has no immediate plans to either reinforce the infrastructure or to 100% metering of the electricity users and plug the illegal use of electricity.
vikram gour.
SE(Rtd), PDD,
member-State Electricity Regulatory Commission (advisory council)
State Consumer Protection Council.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
