E-Paper
Four of five U.P. discoms ‘poor’ performers in consumer services: Govt survey
Lucknow and Agra discoms have received Grade D (the lowest ranking) while the Meerut and the Varanasi discoms were given Grade C
LUCKNOW: Four of the five government-owned electricity distribution companies (discoms) in Uttar Pradesh are poor performers when it comes to consumer services, reveals a recently-released survey report by the Union ministry of power. Only the Kanpur Electric Company (KESCo) -- which caters to urban areas -- was able to secure the Grade A ranking.
In fact, Lucknow and Agra discoms have been put among the poorest performers in the country in the Consumer Service Rating of DISCOMS (CSRD) report for the financial year 2021-22. Part B of the survey focusses on consumer services about the availability of power supply hours, the rectification of faults, metering, billing, and the like. Previously, UP-based discoms were found lagging in part A of the survey -- which was released six months ago -- as well.
In the latest report, Lucknow and Agra discoms have received Grade D (the lowest ranking) while the Meerut and the Varanasi discoms were given Grade C. These discoms cater to both rural and urban consumers. On the other hand, KESCo was found to be the second-best in the country after the Delhi discom.
The report has been released by the Rural Electricity Corporation (REC). The survey report is based on the benchmarking of consumer services provided by discoms across the nation. “In continuation to the main CSRD report for FY 2020-21, Part-B of the report is prepared with the discom-wise specific insights comparing their performance according to the parameter with national-best and national average performance,” says the REC report that covers 70 discoms which cater to 30 crore consumers in the country.
Speaking on the report, Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avadhesh Kumar Verma said it is unfortunate that four of U.P. discoms could not secure a better ranking. “This reflects poorly on the way they are being run. The discoms need to work harder in the areas related to consumer services to improve their rank in the next survey,” he added.
