THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
In a move to put a lid on the row over inflated electricity bills and the rollout of smart meters, the Pramod Sawant government has decided to scrap the decision to levy financial penalties on consumers for exceeding their sanctioned load in billing cycles.
Additionally, the Electricity Department will also do away with the requirement for consumers to go through the cumbersome process of formally seeking sanction for increase in load and instead the recorded load will be taken as sanctioned.
According to Chief Electrical Engineer (CEE) Stephen Fernandes, the Electricity Department will now treat the load recorded on a consumer’s meter in the monthly billing as the new sanctioned load.
The department will automatically update records and eliminate the need for consumers to apply for load enhancement, he said.
Fernandes, however, warned that consumers will remain responsible for electrical safety.
“When the load increases, wiring, MCBs and other safety equipment requires commensurate upgrading. Ensuring safety will be the responsibility of the consumer,” he said.
The department is currently working on putting down the protocol on paper and issuing a detailed circular, in this regard.
The decisions were made a high-level meeting earlier this week between Chief Minister Sawant and senior officials and mark a reversal of the earlier policy that penalised consumers for exceeding sanctioned load through consumption in the billing cycle.
Penalties imposed over the last six months will be waived and revised bills issued, adjusting the penalty amounts already paid as credit for future bills, Fernandes said.
The move comes after weeks of public anger over inflated bills which also coincided with the department's rollout of the project to install smart meters.
Sporadic protests had erupted across Goa, with citizens alleging steep rises in their monthly electricity charges and arbitrary fines for load usage in excess of their sanctioned loads.
The high billing was in several cases linked to installation of smart meters with officials rejecting the claims and clarifying that it was instead due to load violations for excessive usage by consumers of cooling appliances like air-conditioners and fans amidst extreme summer conditions.
Opposition parties and NGOs, meanwhile latched on to the issue and accused the government of rushing the smart meter rollout without adequate consultation.
It reached a flashpoint when PWD Minister Digambar Kamat joined citizens in Margao to protest against the penalties and publicly called them unjustified, forcing the government to first keep the smart meter project and the levying of penalties for load violations on hold.
The government’s latest decision effectively ending the contentious penalty regime and simplifying compliance by aligning sanctioned load with actual usage sets the stage for restoring public trust in the State’s power sector, importantly at a time when elections are due soon.
