The Hindu : New Delhi News : SDMs to lead checking squads for fast running power meters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

SDMs to lead checking squads for fast running power meters

Staff Reporter

The testing of the meters would be done at random on Saturdays

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government on Tuesday announced that from this coming Saturday teams led by sub-divisional magistrates would check electricity meters all over the Capital in order to ameliorate the grievances of the domestic power consumers against fast-running meters.

Announcing the decision, Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf said 27 teams would be set up for the purpose of checking the electricity meters and each would be led by an SDM. Comprising five members each, the teams would also have a representative each of Consumer Council of India, the local residents' welfare association, the area power distribution company and an expert from the Central Power Research Institute.

The testing of the meters would be done randomly on all Saturdays and the area Member of Legislative Assembly would also have a right to participate in the inspection if he or she so desires.

The decision on the testing of meters was announced by Mr Yusuf after a meeting with officials of the Weights and Measures Department of the Delhi Government. Since many MLAs and Members of Parliament had demanded that the Department be involved in checking of the power meters, the meeting was convened on Tuesday. However, in the meeting the officials of the Department informed the Minister that under the rules they were not authorised to inspect electricity meters.

Subsidy notified

In another development on the power front during the day, the Delhi Government notified the subsidy it will give to the private power distribution companies to compensate them for the rollback in the 10 per cent tariff hike announced earlier.

According to the notification, the subsidy has been announced with retrospective effect and is in line with the Delhi Government's recent decision to offer subsidy in lieu of rolling back five per cent of the power tariff hike. As for the remaining five percent of the hike, it would be neutralised through rebate to be offered to the distribution companies.

While the decision on the rollback of the 10 per cent had been taken at a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party, the Delhi Cabinet had subsequently worked out the formula for compensating the private distribution companies for the rollback in the tariff hike.

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