The Hindu 27.12.2009
DERC asks NDMC to install electronic meters
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
| ‘Electro-mechanical meters are known to slow down after being in use for about 8 to 10 years’ |
‘Changing the meters to electronic has helped the discoms plug their losses’
‘The civic body too stands to gain, if the meters are accurate’
NEW DELHI: Even as the power distribution companies in the city pat their backs for being able to bring down the aggregate technical and commercial losses in their respective areas, the one agency that has seen the losses mount is the New Delhi Municipal Council.
According to sources, the losses in the NDMC have risen from 11 per cent to 14 per cent, and though the civic body is yet to identify the exact reasons for the spiralling losses, the presence of electro-mechanical meters in the NDMC-served areas is seen as a major contributing factor.
“There are about 70,000 connections in the NDMC-served areas and in contravention of the rules only 30 per cent have electronic meters. The old electro-mechanical meters are known to slow down after being in use for about 8 to 10 years. They are also not as accurate as the electronic ones,” said sources, hinting that the old meters have contributed to the AT&C losses.
While an NDMC official said the process of changing old meters was under way, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission has expressed its displeasure at the slow pace of transition from the old to the new. “The NDMC is aware that the Central Electricity Authority made it mandatory to replace old electro-mechanical meters with the new electronic ones in 2006. When the other discoms in the city have been able to change the meters in their respective areas, which are much larger than the NDMC’s, the DERC sees no reason why the civic body should have been so lax in carrying out the CEA’s instructions,” said a source.
Taking note of the fact that most of the consumer meters in the NDMC licensed area are still using electro- mechanical meters, the Commission has directed that all such meters must be replaced by December 31, 2010.
“Changing the meters from the electro-mechanical to electronic has helped the discoms plug their losses. The discoms have been able to bring down their losses significantly, for instance in BYPL area the losses are down from 61.16 per cent to 24.4 per cent and in BRPL the reduction is from 51.54 per cent to 20.9 per cent. A major reason for this is bringing consumers in the billing net and the accurate reading from electronic meters. The NDMC too stands to gain, if the meters are accurate,” said an official.
The DERC has also asked the NDMC to maintain separate accounts for its power department. The Commission has asked the civic body to adhere by the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003. The NDMC has been directed to segregate their accounts as was directed during the issue of the tariff order for the financial year 2005-06.
The Council has also been asked to take the Commission’s approval for all expenditure plans exceeding Rs.2 crore.
