THEY CANNOT detect and control power theft, but they have undertaken the impossible task of preventing domestic ACs from running between 4 and 8 pm and impose penalty on the consumer flouting the rule. They want to save electricity, after all!
Funny as it may sound, the UPPCL expects consumers not to use ACs in their homes from 4 pm to 8 pm, irrespective of regular payment of bills. It has already issued a ‘ban’ with provision for penalty on violators. As per an order passed by the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) on Thursday on a petition by the UPPCL, domestic consumers and power employees/pensioners will not be allowed to use ACs between 4 and 8 pm.
Decorative lights in Government, non-Government and commercial buildings too, are not to be used during the stipulated time. Violation of orders will invite a penalty of Rs 50 per AC if the violator is a domestic consumer, Rs 100 in case of a power employee and Rs 150 in case of decorative lights in a a building.
However, use of one AC in a house will be permissible if there is some patient whom the doctor has prescribed AC comfort. Initially, the ban will remain in force for 15 days, after which UPPCL will be required to approach the UPERC for extension. Though, the objective of the ban, as claimed by UPPCL managing director Avnish Awasthi is save electricity, it’s only likely to end up increasing harassment of consumers.
{{/usCountry}}However, use of one AC in a house will be permissible if there is some patient whom the doctor has prescribed AC comfort. Initially, the ban will remain in force for 15 days, after which UPPCL will be required to approach the UPERC for extension. Though, the objective of the ban, as claimed by UPPCL managing director Avnish Awasthi is save electricity, it’s only likely to end up increasing harassment of consumers.
{{/usCountry}}Even power officials agree that the ban is not only impossible but useless too.
“Hardly any electricity will be saved by banning domestic ACs,” said a senior UPPCL official, adding, “The ban would have been helpful if it had been put on the use of ACs in Government and private offices where enforcement of the ban and its monitoring would have been easier.” He said ban orders would only serve the department’s corrupt staff. Interestingly, UPERC, the agency that passed the ban orders on the UPPCL’s request, is wondering how the ban will be implemented? “We don’t understand how they will check which house an AC was being used in,” said UPERC chairman Vijoy Kumar.
He said that UPPCL’s original proposal was to check domestic consumers under the LMV-1 and the LMV- 2 category (power employees) and ban on decorative lighting was included in the proposal. He said the panel had also ruled that only an SDO or an officer senior to him could check a consumer’s AC. UPPCL MD Avnish Awasthi, however, said there was a substantial load of ACs and the ban would certainly motivate people to save electricity. “For example, in Gomti Nagar, of the total power load, the AC load was as much as 60 per cent” he explained.
Awasthi said they were seeking to save electricity through restraint and restriction. “The penalty clause will be invoked only when people do not restrain themselves to save power,” he said.