The Hindu : New Delhi News : ‘DERC should be made a public-oriented body’

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Wednesday, Aug 08, 2007
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New Delhi

‘DERC should be made a public-oriented body’

Staff Reporter

To protect the interests of the people: Harsh Vardhan

NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan has demanded that the Delhi Government make the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission a public-oriented organisation so that it protects the interests of the people and does not work to favour the private power companies.

Stating that the move would help in ensuring that the DERC would control the private power companies and compel them to curb power theft and reduce the power tariff, Dr. Vardhan said so far the Commission had failed to initiate a healthy competition among the three private distribution companies. “This is why there are many apprehensions in the minds of the people regarding this Commission,” he said.

The BJP leader said the DERC had not conducted an impartial enquiry into the Annual Revenue Requirement of the three power companies while on the other hand it had allowed them to increase the power tariff three times on the basis of this ARR. The Commission, he said, had now also made all the preparations to increase the power tariff for the fourth time from this December.

Pointing out that North Delhi Power Limited had demanded from the Commission that the consumers be allowed to benefit from the money saved by it, he wondered why the DERC had made all the preparations to raise the tariff. Alleging that the Delhi Government was trying to mislead the consumers by stating that it would constitute an office of the Electricity Consumers Advocate, Dr. Vardhan said the Government would fill this organisation with its own representatives.

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