KERC takes Karnataka government to task

Bangalore, May 28 (UNI) The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) today took the State Government to task for not implementing its orders and said that it might have to seek legal recourse if this trend continued.

Intervening during the public debate on the multi-year ERC (expected revenue from charges) of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL), KERC Chairman K P Pandey charged that both KPTCL and the Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMS) were not following the orders of the Commission. He also accused the government of intervening in implementation of its law.

He said if this is the situation the Commission has to approach the High Court to direct the government to follow the law.

He said as an instance the Government was not releasing to ESCOMs and KPTCL subsidies on a quarterly basis as directed by the government.

He also pulled upon the ESCOMS for not filing their response to the increase sought by the KPTCL in transmission charges in its ERC.

The ESCOMS would simply transfer the burden on the consumers, he said adding that the supply companies were not functioning independently as envisaged while unbundling of the power sector.

Several organisations including the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) while opposing the ERC of KPTCL had described the entire exercise as futile as orders of the commission was not being followed.

UNI