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Start installing meters in power men’s houses, minister tells UPPCL
Energy minister AK Sharma , in a meeting with energy department officials and discoms’ managing directors (MDs), said Electricity Act 2003 did not permit un-metered power to any class of consumers and questioned why power personnel in the state did not have energy meters in their residences.
Lucknow: Energy minister AK Sharma has directed the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) management to start installing meters in the power personnel’s residences as well, ensuring that all power officials, employees and pensioners consumed electricity as per the provisions.
He, along with chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra was holding a meeting with energy department officials and discoms’ managing directors (MDs) here in the Shakti Bhawan to review efforts being made to improve power supply and enhance revenue collection.
The minister said that the Electricity Act 2003 did not permit unmetered power to any class of consumers and questioned why power personnel in the state did not have energy meters in their residences.
He further said that while performing officials should be rewarded and honoured, those found lax in duty and indulging in corruption must be punished. He ordered tough action against the mafia active in the energy department.
The minister asked the officials to think of using more and more technology to resolve consumers’ grievances and improve power supply. He suggested the technique being used by other states to reduce losses and improve power supply.
Stating that burning of transformers was a big problem in the state, Sharma directed officials to fix accountability in each case of transformer damage. He said the capacity of overloaded transformers should be increased. “All discoms must ensure compliance with directions in this regard,” he said.
Coming to the issue of revenue collection, the minister asked officials to pay special attention to the fact that full revenue should be realized against the cost spent on supplying power to consumers. He ordered preventive maintenance and regular monitoring up to transformer level. He said consumers must get correct bills on time and no unnecessary delay be made in sanctioning and issuing new power connections.
Laying emphasis on the need for making the power sector sustainable to be able to provide 24x7 power to all the consumers, the chief secretary asked officials to ensure all the consumers had valid electricity connections with working meters.
He said the number of formal power connections was quite low considering the state’s population. He directed officials to make an action plan to increase number of electricity connections apart from simplifying the completed procedure.
Addressing the meeting, principal secretary, energy and UPPCL chairman M Devraj said the department was strictly working on the policy of ‘zero tolerance’ on corruption and a number of corrupt engineers and employees had been penalized in the recent month. He said the corporation was making all possible efforts to improve the state of affairs in the sector.
