JNM is happy to report the following ... Maharashtra Energy Minister Shri Sunil Tatkare in a letter to the MERC, had directed it to take emergent steps, withing 15 days, relating to policy of government of protecting consumers’ interest in a monopoly situation, to ensure that no unreasonable and unjustified bills were being collected in the intervening period in which this investigation was in progress.
However, on Wednesday, MERC passed an order stating: “Since the Commission needs to undertake a detailed investigation on metering, power purchase expenses and transactions undertaken by Reliance Infra-D, as well as capital expenditure schemes, the tariff increase approved by the Commission for the consumers will be stayed till the Commission issues further orders.” *This means the increase in rates by R. Infra stand frozen for the present. * The collective action by various Citizens Groups and the public outcry it caused in the TV and print media, has led to a victory of sorts for the belabored-citizens of suburban-Mumbai. Even with the ordered freeze in the tariff hike, the consumer will still be paying R. Infra bills which are 40 to 60 % more than if the billing was done by Tata Power. Please study the attached graph. There is further the matter of refund for the excess charges paid for the past many months and years to R.Infra. There is also the matter of Maharashtra Tax being charged for which consumers have got this pain in return. Should not the MERC and the Govt. have done better for the consumers who are paying tax on every unit of power consumed? Can tax be charged if no service is offered by Govt? There is also the matter of unified service area of Greater Mumbai for which similar rates should be paid by the consumer irrespective of where he lives in the city. Why is the city divided into different parts for electrical energy and not for other products and services like: cell phones, taxis, rail transport, piped gas, petrol and diesel, basic products, etc. Do we pay different rates for same product and service because we buy it in different parts of Mumbai? Let us celebrate this limited victory and continue to build pressure for switching to more economical provider of same product and service. Let us have competition and freedom of choice. Let the Corporates struggle to win customers and let not statutory bodies work for corporates forgetting their obligations to society. JNM promises to take this matter ahead to bring better governance to the public. Best wishes. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: jagrut nagrik manch movement <[email protected]> Date: Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 11:54 AM Subject: Fwd: On line registration for cheaper electric power To: Jagrut Nagrik Manch <[email protected]> Greetings. I am happy to report to you on the current initiative of JNM. This matter relating to the unprecedented increase in electrical energy charges by the monopolistic suburban-Mumbai supplier: R.Infra gets worse by the year. Today, the consumer is paying R.Infra twice what s-he would pay Tata Power. See the attached chart. JNM with its 50+ associate groups have been publicizing this issue on TV and the print media for the past one month. Currently, our *JNM Newsletter *offers the choice to the consumer to 'do the switch' in one easy step. They can *register their contact details on the hard copy of the form or go on-line at our website to do the same*. See the attached pictures and the appended email below. We are in the process of collecting back applications from 20,000 consumers who want to exercise their choice to switch to a cheaper supplier for the same product, service at the same site. We feel this is another issue of bad governance by the Govt. who have not met their obligatory duties of providing basic services economically, to the citizens even after collecting electrical energy duty tax for the past fifty years from the consumers. We plan to take up this matter and ensure that the citizens get their due. Best wishes. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: jagrut nagrik manch movement <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 10:49 PM Subject: On line registration for cheaper electric power To: Jagrut Nagrik Manch <[email protected]>, Juhu Ekta ALM < [email protected]>, Juhu Scheme Residents Association < [email protected]>, Karmayog <[email protected]>, Mumbai JVPD North West ALM <[email protected]> Greetings. JNM and its supporters have distributed 20,000 copies of its first *JNM-Newsletter *in the past few days ... mostly in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai. A soft copy in 4.5 MB pdf format has been posted at the 'files section' of the Yahoo Group: jagrutnagrik ... link shown in bold below. Smaller picture files have been emailed to many Citizen Groups and Activists across the city. Already many citizens have chosen to exercise their choice and have started sending us the cut out TATA POWER application form with their contact details and signature. Hundreds of phone calls have been received by our Volunteers inquiring for more Newsletter Application Forms to 'do the switch' to Tata Power. The recent heavy rains have made it difficult to quickly print and distribute more copies of the Newsletter and appln. forms for the citizens of Mumbai. *Instead JNM now invites citizens to visit the home page of its website ... shown in bold below, and click the box which says: TATA to Expensive Electricity <http://www.jagrutnagrik.com/switchover1.shtml> <http://www.jagrutnagrik.com/switchover1.shtml>* *You will be directed to page that tells in short, about the 'unprecedented increase in electric tariff' by R. Infra and the lower rates of Tata Power. Choice is offered to those interested to 'do the switch' and register their personal details in the space provided. * *Kindly provide all the info asked for*. This will allow us to take up the matter with Tata Power in strength, for a cheaper solution, for same product and service. Obviously this solution is available only for suburban-Mumbai where the new R. Infra billing is two times the billing of Tata Power. Lots of emails explaining the matter have already been posted at the blog at Yahoo Group ... citizens are welcome to view the same for clarifications. PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO OTHER ACTIVISTS, CITIZEN GROUPS AND NGOs ALL OVER INDIA, SO THAT CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT CAN DEVELOP IN INDIA. Kindly post this at 'social networking sites' for wider reach. JNM will do its utmost to take up the cause of lakhs of above consumers affected by the increase in rates for electrical energy and work to find a cheaper solution. -- Praful Vora, Convener - JNM. (Cell: +91 900 401 7654) JNM will work towards fundamental political, electoral and governance reforms. *Website: http://www.jagrutnagrik.com <http://www.jagrutnagrik.com/jnmhome.shtml>* *Blog: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jagrutnagrik/*
