Energy minister orders special audit of financial transactions of all discoms

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh energy minister Shrikant Sharma on Wednesday ordered a special audit of financial transactions of all the five distribution companies on the

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh energy minister Shrikant Sharma on Wednesday ordered a special audit of financial transactions of all the five distribution companies on the complaints received from people’s representatives, contractors and others about corruption with regard to purchases and payments.

HT Image

He also directed discoms to ensure payment of all the pending wages to the contract workers before Diwali and take strict action against the outsourced companies who have withheld wages of the workers.

Sharma was presiding over a meeting to review the government’s efforts to make affordable power available to consumers here at the Shakti Bhwan.

“The government has a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and will take strict action against anyone who acts against the government’s intention,” he said.

Ordering special audit of discoms’s financial transactions, he said the UP Power Corporation Ltd’s (UPPCL) vigilance wing would help conduct the audit for more transparency and better results.

“We have received complaints from MLAs, MPs, contractors and others about corrupt practices that discoms are allegedly resorting to,” he said, adding, “We will take most stern action against anyone who is found to be corrupt,” he said.

The minister, according to sources, has found a sort of financial anarchy in discoms which have been resorting to a practice of making excess purchases of items like transformers, cables, meters, cables etc without merely against estimates without bothering to get detailed project reports (DPRs) made.

The minister, sources said, also found underutilization of the departmental transformer repaid workshops and also complaints about commission being demanded from suppliers and contractors for giving them contracts as well as making payments.

During the course of review meeting, the minister also found complaints about billing agencies and order lodging FIRs against the meters readers or the billing agencies in cases where bills issued were issued to consumers on the basis of forged reading/units.

Launch drive to install prepaid meters

The minister directed the UPPCL to launch a statewide drive in the first week of November to install smart prepaid meters on all the government buildings. He also told the corporation to speed up the work of installing smart meters in big cities.

He directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted but affordable power to consumers by effectively checking theft of electricity and reducing other financial and technical losses.