The Hindu : KPTCL makes 9 lakh consumers 'vanish'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

KPTCL makes 9 lakh consumers 'vanish'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE Dec. 17. Can nearly nine lakh electricity consumers vanish in a year? And, if so, has the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) been misled into passing tariff increases these past two years?

These were questions the commission members asked on Tuesday when the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) appeared to present its compliance with KERC directives.

According to the KERC Chairman, Philipose Mathai, and Member (Technical), H.R. Gopal, figures given by the four electricity supply companies (escoms) show that electricity consumers this year "number nearly nine lakh less than the previous year". And this was after the KPTCL's much-publicised Anti-Theft Law (ATL) drive where 8.75 lakh connections were `regularised'.

Did that mean installations serviced were not entered into the ledger? The difference in numbers had implications on the escoms' expected revenue from charges (ERC), transmission and distribution (T&D) losses etc. In fact, this alone could make the KERC reject the petitions, Mr. Mathai said.

Mr. Gopal pointed out that KPTCL had taken T&D losses for 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04 as a `uniform' six per cent. That was not possible. The KPTCL itself agreed that losses ranged from six per cent to nine per cent. The KPTCL Director (Transmission), S. Shivamallu, even admitted that they took 6 per cent as the T&D loss for 2001-02 "because we wanted a tougher target for ourselves".

To this, Mr. Gopal said KPTCL could not do that for a year already over; it could be done for the next year. "This is a very serious mistake, (since it) determines the energy availability for escoms."

Other questions pertained to voltage-level energy audits, and meters at interface points (between KPTCL and the escoms), etc. The KERC gave KPTCL one week to come up with correct statistics and a changed ERC.

On Wednesday, at 11 a.m., there is a hearing on KPTCL's power purchase, employee costs, repair and maintenance, administration, and general expenses. At 3 p.m., Bescom will state its compliance with KERC directives at the KERC court hall here.

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