PANAJI
The electricity department will soon begin a “comprehensive verification exercise” to check misuse of domestic power connections for commercial purposes, once the new tariff structure is introduced.
In its submission to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), the department admitted that many second homes and rental properties in Goa continue to use domestic connections despite being run commercially. Stakeholders had raised this concern at the public hearing on the tariff petition.
“The department confirms that after the new tariff structure is implemented, a thorough verification exercise will be carried out to reassess and categorise each consumer’s connection. This is to identify and reclassify those misusing domestic tariffs,” the department said.
It added that it is working with the tourism department to detect commercial activities being run from domestic premises and ensure they are billed under the low-tension (LT) commercial category.
At the public hearing, consumers pointed out that villas and second homes leased out for rent are being billed as domestic properties. “This is power pilferage and causes revenue loss to the electricity department. With most bookings happening online, panchayats and housing societies are often unaware of such commercial use,” stakeholders said.
They also noted that the department does not have a dedicated cell to track such misuse. They suggested closer coordination with the tourism, panchayat, and urban development departments to access rental data and enforce proper categorisation.
“A dedicated inspection and enforcement team should be formed to track and reclassify such cases under LT commercial tariffs. This will ensure fairness and stop misuse,” they added.
