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5-fold rise in penalties for discoms likely
The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) may increase — by 400 per cent — the penalty, and also reduce deadlines for power distribution companies (discoms) to attend to consumer issues.
The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) may increase — by 400 per cent — the penalty, and also reduce deadlines for power distribution companies (discoms) to attend to consumer issues.
And for the first time, discoms will pay compensations on their own if they fail performance standards, even without a consumer complaining. If they don’t pay up, the amount will increase five times.
On Tuesday, the DERC sought comments from discoms, the public and stakeholders on the new Draft Delhi Electricity supply Code and Performance Standards Regulations, which had made additions for more stringent rules for discoms.
"No other performance standard in the country has such stringent provisions," said A.K. Tewary, DERC secretary. "We plan to make complaint, compensation and redressal a transparent and hassle-free experience for consumers.”
If the draft is implemented, all meter theft cases will have to be recorded in the presence of a witness — a resident of the neighbourhood. “There were several complaints that discoms were booking spurious cases of power theft,” he said.
The draft also reduces the time discoms can take to finish testing a meter-related complaint to seven from the present 15 days. The penalty for failing this deadline has been increased to Rs 100 per day of delay-up from Rs 25 per day at present.
If the draft has its ways, faulty streetlights will now have to be fixed within 48 hours, instead of 72 hours.
“While we are yet to file an official reaction, we would want a system that encourages performance by incentivising,” said
Gopal Saxena, CEO, BSES Rajdhani, the biggest private discom.
The existing performance standard was notified in 2007.
