Public notice likely as govt puts disconnections on hold
PANAJI
The Goa Electricity Department (GED) is likely to issue a fresh public notice giving consumers more time to shift their electricity meters outdoors so that they are easily accessible to meter readers.
Earlier, the department had warned that power connections would be disconnected if meters were not relocated. However, the government has now decided to give more time before taking such strict action.
A senior GED official said a new deadline would be announced soon. “A fresh public notice is expected to be issued shortly,” the official said.
When the earlier deadline ended in November last year, about 65 per cent of the 38,000 consumers whose meters were found to be indoors and not accessible had failed to comply with the order. After this, senior GED officials had considered starting the process of disconnecting power to such consumers. However, sources said that the government stepped in and asked the department to keep the action on hold.
The first notices asking consumers to shift their electricity meters outside were published in May last year. A six-month period was given, which ended on November 28. During this period, Chief Electrical Engineer Stephen Fernandes had issued several public notices, warning that failure to move the meters would lead to penal action, including disconnection of electricity supply under the Electricity Act.
