CERS accuses DISCOMS of violating GERC regulations

Ahmedabad, May 11 (UNI) City-based Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) has accused the power distribution companies (DISCOMS) in the State of violating the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC)'s regulations and ''extorting'' large sums of money from the consumers.

The CERS has urged the GERC to appoint an investigating authority ''as per Section 128 (i) of the Electricity Act, 2003'' and demanded that the illegal and unjust amounts collected from consumers be refunded.

In fact, CERS has been advocating for quite some time the appointment of an energy experts committee in the State to monitor the implementation of GERC regulations and to check the misuse of these regulations by DISCOMS.

Gujarat implemented the Electricity Act on December 10, 2003 and as per the act, State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) are required to frame rules and regulations within a prescribed time-limit.

The GERC has till date announced about 22 regulations, including the Supply Code and the Standard of Performance, which have made DISCOMS accountable.

According to CERS, some of the frequent violations of GERC regulations by DISCOMS are converting theft cases under Section 135 to unauthorised use of energy or malpractice under Section 126, collecting reconnection charges from consumers without physical disconnection of power, collecting compounding charges without filing a first information report, issuing bills without taking meter reading for months, penalising consumers by testing old meters after 3-4 months in the absence of consumers, not providing meter change slip or meter test reports to consumers, and charging brake horsepower (BHP)-based tariff to the agricultural sector though energy meters are installed.

UNI