Poor electricity revenue collection continue to distress govt.

Mulls to introduce energy accounting

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 17: Distressed with the poor electricity revenue collections, the state government has decided to introduce ‘energy accounting’ to make officials in respective divisions accountable for the failure to achieve the set targets this year.

Sources said that the decision was taken during a high level meeting chaired by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather which was also attended by Commissioner Secretary Power Development Department (PDD), Sudanshu Pandey to review the progress of revenue collection, primarily in view of  recently revised   targets of  Rs 1675 set by the centre for this fiscal. Earlier the state had set the target of Rs 1200 crore for 2011-12.

A senior officer said that energy accounting plan, envisages tallying of electricity units distributed from particular feeder during a specific period with the revenue collections made thereto. “If there will be any discrepancy the officers at the helm of affairs will be held responsible for the lapses” a senior officer said.

Though a sources claimed that the measures could still not be able to help government to achieve the set target of Rs 1675 crore, but it will be a last ditch effort to mount pressure on the field staff responsible for checking power pilferage.

“This year we have not set any particular target, but will introduce energy accounting to make officials manning the feeders supplying electricity to particular locality accountable. They in turn will ensure that power theft is curbed”, said Pandey.

Union Power Ministry has been regularly asking the state to increase revenue from electricity, bring down power purchase bill and Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses, which were currently around 60 to 65 per cent and initiate other reforms.

It is an open fact now that the electricity purchase bill this fiscal is likely to cross 25,000 crore mark, a huge amount for the state which have limited resources even for development works. So far state government is forced to divert some of the plan funds from other sources to meet the rising energy demand.

Power sector is a major headache for the J&K, as its use is increasing every year, the state had to divert crores of rupees from developmental works to keep the power supply stable.