Vinit Wahi
NEW DELHI—Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken strongly opposed the tariff hike sought by DISCOMs. He also released the copy of the letter written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (dated 20.04.2015), wherein he pointed out important factors and advised the Government to take necessary steps against the proposal for tariff hike. Earlier on Friday (17.04.2015), the DPCC had filed objections in the DERC, against the proposed hike. (Copies of the letter & objections are being enclosed).
Referring to the content of the letter written to the Delhi Chief Minister, he said that despite a massive reduction in the AT&C losses (Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses), the demand of power companies seeking a steep hike in the tariff was extremely unjustified. Substantiating his argument with relevant data, Shri Maken pointed out in the year 2002-03, the aggregate AT&C losses of Private DISCOMs were marked at 56.63, the same has been now reduced to an aggregate of 16.13%.
Maken said these figures clearly prove that, the DISCOMs had failed to give the benefit to the honest consumers in Delhi. He further added that the losses projected by the DISCOMS for the time period 2013-16 are unrealistic and the same do not correspond with the actual reduction on ground, therefore these figures cannot be accepted.
Further, he also highlighted that the losses of the BSES DISCOMs in the year 2013-14 have been more than what was approved by the Regulatory Commission, and therefore strict penalty should be levied on the power companies. AT&C losses of the state owned DISCOM- NDMC were much lesser than the private DISCOMs, Shri Maken added.
The DPCC chief said no DISCOM should be allowed transmission losses above two per cent of the average transmission losses of all the DISCOMs in Delhi.
On the issue of subsidy, Maken said that the private DISCOMs are making windfall profits by fudging the figures W.R.T. the beneficiaries. He requested the Delhi Government to undertake the exercise of fresh profiling of consumers in the national capital, as many may not be benefitting from the hefty subsidy amounts released to the private companies. He also suggested that the traditional practice of allowing one meter per floor deprives subsidy benefit in those cases, where more than one family is staying on a floor, especially in unauthorised colonies and urban villages.
