--------------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help other CONSUMERS to be better informed. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Locals blow a fuse over power dept’s ‘inefficiency’, -------------------------------------------------
At a final public hearing called by the joint electricity regulatory commission on the electricity department's petition to enhance the electricity tariff for 2015-16, consumers and consumer activists protested the department's proposal to raise power tariffs, stating that it had a lot of work to do to curb distribution, manpower and other losses to bring down expenditure. Consumers took advantage of the public hearing to vent out their ire against inflated bills, delayed billing, substandard electricity supply, callous linesmen, office staff and "inefficient and lackadaisical service". "Why doesn't the department catch those who are stealing electricity instead of hiking prices?" asked activist Lorna Fernandes. The public hearing, which was held at EDC House, Panaji, witnessed strong protests as leaders of consumer forums demanded that the department reduce manpower costs and improve power supply quality. "I would like to know whether an FIR has been registered by the electricity department against the PWD for digging up and damaging wires because of which we did not have power on March 25," said convener of the consumer action network Roland Martins. The electricity department, represented by two consultants, bore the brunt even as they presented the department's business. The proposal identified the departments shortcomings as well as tariff disparity between states. The consultants pointed out that the department had not hiked power tariffs by a large margin for the last 15 years and had been accumulating losses even as tariff in other states stood nearly four times higher than Goa. They also said that 14% of the department's expenditure goes on manpower. "Other states may be getting better facilities for the higher price," said activist Martin Rodrigues. Martins argued for transparency and proper performance evaluation process, along with a stop on the subsidy bill being dumped on the common man. The criticism and protests caught the attention of the joint electricity regulatory commission chairman, Sudhir K Chaturvedi. "Goa is better than other states but more progress is desirable," Chaturvedi said. "I suggest the department should hold a public grievance redressal meeting every four to six months with either the power secretary or with an officer who can take decisions." Acknowledging the concerns voiced before him, Chaturvedi said that the department had to improve tremendously in order to turn into an efficient and professional utility service provider. Chaturvedi is expected to pass his order by March-end or in the first week of April. Offering a rebuttal to those asking for better services before hiking prices, power secretary Prashant Goyal termed it a chicken and the egg situation. "There is an urgent need to improve our power infrastructure. If we don't do it, the quality of power supply will continue to fall," he said. Even though the public hearing was called specifically to deliberate on the issue of tariff hikes, the objections and concerns raised were often unrelated, much to the amusement of Chaturvedi. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Locals-blow-a-fuse-over-power-depts-inefficiency/articleshow/46708602.cms ------------------------ Times of India 27/3/15 --------------------------
