Discoms put Rs 1000-cr burden on Govt: CUTS

The Three power distribution companies of Rajasthan – Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ajmer, are imposing an additional burden of Rs.1000 crore on the state government by not checking their transmission and distribution losses, according to an assessment done by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS).

These companies are planning to impose this extra burden on the consumers by increase the power tariff.

CUTS has submitted a memorandum to the RERC and demanded cancellation of the petition of all three Discoms about tariff increase.

They also demanded that the distribution companies should present their records in public and conduct a field survey of the T&D losses.

According to Vinayak Pandey of CUTS, Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission had in 2001 directed these companiues to reduce their T&D losses to 20 per cent from 37 per cent in five years but these companaies actually increased their losses to 41 per cent.

One per cent reduction in T&D loss is equal to Rs.29 crore saving to these companies.

If these companies had followed RERC’s directions, they could have saved rs.360 crore each by now. Together they could have saved more than Rs.1000 crore, calculated Pandey.

He said these companies are planning to increase the tariff and impose burden on the consumers to overcome the T&D losses incurred by them. If one reads the petition filed by the three Discoms to RETC for increasing the power tariff, it becomes evident that these companies have been ignoring the directions of RERC.

RERC in April this year instructed the companies to mention the last date of submitting suggestions on all consumer bills so that they cana lodge their complaints / suggerstions / demands in time. However, these companies are not following RRC’s directions.

CUTS after studying the petition filed by the three companies, is preparing a draft with the reactions of consumers of all categories and would submit it to the RERC.