CEE's TAKE ON
REVENUE LOSS
>> The deficit, as is the case every year, will be offset by budgetary support from the Government
UNEXPLAINED
>> Whether the government provides this money upfront at the start or in phases through the year
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SLAMMED
>> Power dept for its failure to address the issue of power theft
SUGGESTION
>> Tackle the problem, prevent losses of up to Rs 100 cr a year
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PANAJI: Goa's power department was on Monday under fire for the projected Rs 308-crore revenue deficit in its 2019-20 business plan, even as it has pledged not to hike tariffs during the year and rather rely on the State government to bank-roll the funds shortfall.
Chief Electrical Engineer Reshma Mathew, who led the Power Department's team at the annual tariff hearing conducted by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission, revealed that the deficit, as is the case every year, will be offset by budgetary support from the Government of Goa.
Mathew, however, was unable to explain whether the government provides this money upfront at the start or in phases through the year when the JERC Chairman MK Goel posed the query.
"It's a book entry. The State government bears the deficit from the State budget," is how Mathew sought to explain the deficit-budgeting proposal for the electricity department for the next financial year.
The department's manpower costs and lack of business-like attitude also came in for close scrutiny at the hearing.
Consumer activist Roland Martins pointed out that the Electricity Act mandates that power utilities in States should be re-structured either as a Corporation or Board to improve economics of the sector but in Goa there is no sign of this happening.
Meanwhile, with no power tariff hike barring a minor tweak in consumption quantum slabs proposed for the year, the power department was spared the usual barrage of queries and complaints from consumers.
Complaints from the public were restricted to smaller day-to-day functional issues and some pertained to the department's apathy in upgrading power infrastructure in rural areas of the State.
Martins raised a stink over the Power Department's failure to address the issue of power theft and told the Commission that losses of up to Rs 100 crore a year could be prevented if the problem is seriously tackled.
"The department has no designated staff to tackle power thefts. Theft is happening across the State, especially in the coastal tourism areas. You don't have a strategy to prevent it. Put up a phone number in the public domain to report theft,or designate an officer and we (consumer activists) will help you check the power theft," Martins told the Commission.
Martins also came down heavily on the poor functioning of the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum of the power department, whose existence he said is not even known to consumers.
"Based in Vasco, the forum functions opaquely. Even its contact details/address which is statutorily printed on the power bills is illegible," Martins said, urging the Commission to direct the department to make the forum more accessible to the public.
Another major grievance aired by consumers at the hearing was of non-functional electricity meters, in which case the logic of the billing was questioned.
"Can you think of a vegetable vendor or grocer running his business without a weighing scale?," one consumer questioned the department and narrated how bills were being issued for one of his premises even after the power connection was terminated.
"The department is not pro-active in replacing faulty or non-functional meters and keeps issuing bills based on an illogical formula for months on end to consumers whose meters are not working," he complained.
Meanwhile, a top official of the department informed the commission that the department has undertaken the task of replacING around 2-lakh electricity meters with new digital ones across the State. Nearly 60,000 meters have already been replaced and the task outsourced to four vendors is progressing at a brisk pace, he added.
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Solar power plans only on
paper, industry complains
PANAJI: Goa's much touted plans to explore the cleaner and more cost-effective solar energy are confined to government files and remain on paper and the concerned officials are clueless on the technical nitty-gritties needed on the ground to get the sector going, representatives of the industry voiced at the JERC tariff hearing. From tariff structures, charges for wheeling solar power to the grid and other modalities have not been put in place, said Mr Sood who claimed to be representing the sector.
Sood said his own solar power unit which is powering his industry had to be shut-down at the weekend because there is no regime put in place by the government on how solar energy would be traded within the State.
Although Goa's Solar Power Policy was notified way back in December 2017, the government has failed to come up with supporting legislation and other rules and regulations to trade solar power in the State, he added.
Meanwhile Sanjiv Joglekar, member-secretary of the Goa Electricity Development Corporation, which is the State Government's agency tasked with managing the solar and other non-conventional energy sector, disclosed that rules and regulations have been worked out and he expects the government to notify them in a fortnight's time.
Commission Chairman, M K Goel expressed surprise over the situation and chided the authorities for lagging behind in the solar power sector.
"Government should not be in this situation. You should be taking the initiative and promoting solar energy rather than those interested to invest egging you on," Goel said.
