May 28, 2005, Jaipur, Press Release
On the concluding day of the workshop organised by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) on Friday, the experts expressed their resentment over the State Government’s decision to hike power tariff. By increasing the power tariff, the inefficient power companies are passing the buck to the consumers, experts added.
Assistant Director CUTS, George Cherian said that 30 per cent increase in the power tariff has put consumers in trouble. RERC is responsible for this irrational increase in tariff. These power companies have not been successful in reducing their transmission and distribution losses and compensatng the company losses by irrationally increasing the power tariff and overburdening the consumers. The State Government, RERC and the power providing distribution companies should rethink over this power hike decision, he added.
Former Secretary, RERC Prabhat Dayal said that unbundling of Rajasthan State Electricity Board into five separate companies has actually increased the transparency in the working of the companies. Due to this separate estimate of power supply generation and trnsmission can be easily made shortcomings can be pointed out and corrective measures can be taken. At present, transmission and distribution losses of the power distribution companies have reached to 40 per cent.
RERC has imposed a lot of regulations for power reforms but the need of the hour is that working swtyle of power companies should be under scanner to ensure that implementation of these reform regulations, former Charman and Managing Director, Jodhpur Discom, HD Charan.
A member of the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatiory Commission, SM Dharendra while talking about the workingof the regulatgory commissions said that RERC has taken necessary steps for power reformst hat include implementation of the new electricity supply code and constitution of various platforms for registering complaints related to power.