The Hindu : Karnataka News : Electrical Inspectorate's powers may be curtailed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 09, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Electrical Inspectorate's powers may be curtailed

By Divya Sreedharan

BANGALORE, JUNE 8. The Electrical Inspectorate may soon stop "inspecting" works undertaken by Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL), the electricity supply companies (Escoms), and Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL).

Sources said the decentralisation would take a few months to be effected. The move followed recent discussions involving officials from the inspectorate, KPTCL, KPCL, the Energy Department, and the Chief Secretary, K.K. Misra.

"The inspectorate will be asked to issue licences (for electrical contractors); conduct examinations, say, for the post of mining supervisors; and to investigate electrical accidents and electrocutions," the sources said. Mr. Misra reportedly did not want to wind up the inspectorate and the meeting agreed in principle that it would not be closed down. But KPTCL/Escoms and KPCL felt its wings needed to be clipped a bit, the sources said.

As of now, the inspectorate continues to inspect all works — commissioning of stations and lines, for instance — undertaken by KPTCL/Escoms and KPCL. This, KPTCL officials alleged, caused delay. "The inspectorate officials must okay our designs, but they invariably come at the last minute and want unnecessary changes. The exercise is redundant and causes losses worth crores of rupees," they said.

Officials in the inspectorate said their powers were greatly weakened by the new Electricity Act, 2003. "The Act says the State Government can appoint any agency for inspections. Besides, in Tamil Nadu, the inspectorate has stopped periodic inspections because of a High Court stay. That is a big blow for us," the officials said.

The proposal to wind up the office of the Chief Electrical Inspector to the Government (CEIG) or the inspectorate is one year old. It came from KPTCL Chairman and Managing Director, K.N. Srivastava. The then Energy Secretary refused to consider the matter saying Mr. Srivastava had no authority to demand the Inspectorate's closure "as it is a body set up by the Government and has statutory powers."

The sources said the inspection work would henceforth be divided. "KPCL will inspect KPTCL works and the latter will supervise Escoms' works. They, in turn, will inspect the private installations in their respective zones," say sources.

Work under the Government of India-sponsored Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme were delayed in Bangalore and other districts "because inspectorate officials took too much time to give their approval," sources said.

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