Only 39 per cent of households in Uttar Pradesh are metered, billed, and the consumers pay their electricity dues.
These and more startling facts have emerged in a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), which was released in Lucknow on Wednesday .
With the government announcing 100 per cent electrification of households in the state under Saubhagya Scheme, the newly-connected households are likely to place greater financial burden on power distribution companies (discoms) due to poor metering, infrequent billing and inefficient collection of dues.
These currently account for far greater losses to discoms vis-à-vis losses on account of power theft due to hooking of wires (katiya), unauthorised electricity usage and meter tampering.
The study, supported by Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF) and based on findings from a consumer survey, was released by Director (Commercial), Madhyanchal Vidhyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL) Brahm Pal, and Director (Distribution), UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), Vikas Chandra Agarwal, at the roundtable discussion ‘Beyond Saubhagya: Next Steps for Power Sector Reforms in UP’, in Lucknow.
The survey, conducted in collaboration with Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP) in the summer of 2018, covered 1,800 households in 90 villages (rural) and 90 wards (urban) in ten districts — Aligarh, Ambedkarnagar, Banda, Ballia, Budaun, Kaushambi, Mau, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar and Sultanpur. Four out of UP’s five public discoms operate in these districts.
The Council’s study also proposed a policy roadmap to help discoms prioritise their strategies for ensuring 24x7 power supply in the state.
The study noted that there was notable improvement in duration of power supply in both rural and urban areas of the state after implementation of 24x7 power for all scheme by the state government. The duration of power supply improved to 17 hours and 12 hours in urban and rural areas respectively. A total of 83 per cent urban consumers and 63 per cent rural consumers were satisfied with discom’s service when supply was available post sunset.
During the keynote address, Pal said, “Such surveys are needed to assess consumer satisfaction and awareness. The findings can also be used to design strategic approaches to educate consumers about power bills, tariff orders, prevention of electricity theft, and financial health of discoms.”
Agarwal said, “In UP, infrequent and inaccurate billing is a major cause of consumer dissatisfaction. Implementation of CEEW recommendations could reduce human intervention leading to efficient and punctual billing process.”
