The Hindu : New Delhi News : Bid to woo residents of slum clusters

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Sunday, Jan 06, 2008
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Bid to woo residents of slum clusters

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Proposal to treat small vendors as non-commercial

‘A final decision will be taken by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission’
Proposal to set up special committees to deal with power and billing related issues

NEW DELHI: Going all out to woo the residents of slum clusters, the Delhi Government’s Power Department wants to exempt individuals who run small-scale vends from their residential units in such colonies from being termed as commercial.

The proposal was mooted at a meeting chaired by Power Minister A. K. Walia this past week. “We have discussed the possibility of exempting 24 such works that have been left out by the Delhi Development Authority in the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 that can be run from residential areas,” Dr. Walia said.

“As of now the idea has only been discussed with officials of the power distribution companies, but a final decision will be taken by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission,” he added.

If the proposal gets the go-ahead from DERC, individuals who earn their livelihood through small vends, selling tea or vegetable will not be treated at par with those who run commercial establishments.

As per the norms, residents of slum clusters who come under the Rs.175 per month scheme are not allowed to run any commercial venture. Those wishing to run small operation units from within the slum clusters need to apply for a metered power connection.

“The proposal is aimed at solving the problems faced by small vendors who strive to earn their livelihood but are sometimes forced to part with more money on account of power bills calculated on commercial basis,” said a Power Department source.

The Power Minister has also mooted a proposal to set up special committees in each constituency headed by the MLA to deal with power and billing related issues. These committees, which will have five to six members, will also include an official of the power distribution company concerned.

“The MLAs have to face all kinds of problems concerning power, whether they are billing related or maintenance and upgrading of the system or even power cuts. These committees at the constituency level will resolve the problems faced by the consumers.”

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