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| 5000 MRI with PDD useless in absence of trained manpower | | | early times reprot
JAMMU, Mar 25: Although Power Development Department (PDD) had received nearly 5000 Meter Reading Instruments (MRI) under the Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme (APDRP) to check the tempering with the e-meters, the department failed to use these as they did not train staff to handle these instruments.
According to the sources most of the MRI's are gathering dust in the stores while the department relied on the manual method to register meter reading during the revenue realization drive, which left field open for wrong bills and in some cases allowed the people to bribe the staff engaged in revenue recovery.
Officials sources said that it was also one of the reason for the less revenue realization this year as PDD did not achieve its target of recovering Rs 1031 crore from the consumers.
According to the officials every instrument was to be used per 500 families. A Line inspector informed that the MRI is directly connected with the e-meter and downloads the actual reading on the instrument without leaving any chance of tampering as happens in case of manual meter checking, the instruments then downloads the data in the computer without having to use the cumbersome registers.
"They were procured with the e-meters and were supposed to act as check against tampering and get correct reading but they were never issued negating their purpose for which they were brought", said an official source who was associated with revenue recovery.
However a senior officer from the PDD said that they were facing some problem but steps are being taken to train and issues these instruments in coming months. "We have initiated the process and field staff is being trained for the same and more steps are being taken to modernize the department.", he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that nearly six lakh e-meters have been installed in Jammu and Kashmir since the power reforms were initiated by the state government in 2005, after the intense pressure from the central government and Northern Grid. The aim of the reforms was to check the misuse of the electricity and make the revenue recovery a norm among the people. "Our meter was showing reading of 3000 units but after taking some money our lineman lowered the reading to 2000 units and we paid bill for same", said a local resident Kapil Gupta.
Official sources further said that the much hyped 24-hour call centre cum grievance cells to register the complaints from the people and make staff more accountable has still not been established. The cell was to be established at district level with all the latest equipment like dedicated phone lines, computers, faxes and separate staff so that they can register and take necessary steps to solve the problems of the consumers, who have to face tough time to get their problems resolved. |
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