PowerCom told to set up village committees to check pilferage Power commission wants farmers to use star-rated motors

Submitted by lovekesh on Thu, 16/02/2012 - 7:06am

PowerCom told to set up village committees to check pilferage
Power commission wants farmers to use star-rated motors
Bipin Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 15
In yet another effort to conserve energy, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission has advocated the use of star-rated motors by farmers. It has directed Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PowerCom) to set up village-level committees to discourage power pilferage.

Romila Dubey, chairperson of the commission, who was in city to elicit the views of the public on the proposed electricity tariff for 2012-13, said almost 20 per cent of the power went waste at various channels. She said it was time the farmers got rid of their old power guzzling motors at their tubewells and opted for star-rated ones.

To check power pilferage, Dubey advised PowerCom to constitute village and mohalla-level committees. The commission and PowerCom officials faced stiff opposition from farmers and industrialists during the interaction. Issues like power pilferage by bureaucrats, politicians, industrialists and religious institutions were also discussed.

Resisting any hike in the power tariff and monthly charges, the industrialists demanded a uniform slab as in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana if industry in the state was to be saved.

Representative of the cold store owners opposed the proposal, demanded exemption from peak load charges.

PowerCom has projected a gap of Rs 8,983 crore in the aggregate revenue requirement for 2012-13. To bridge this gap, it has sought to increase the power tariff by 55 per cent.

Besides top officials of PowerCom, GS Ghuman and Virinder Singh, members of the commission, attended the function.