Power reforms project proved a failure

Power reforms project proved a failure

VLDS fails to attract people to disclose their domestic load

Yash Khajuria   

JAMMU, June 16: Voluntary Load Discloser Scheme (VLDS) launched by the Power Development Department (PDD) has failed to yield result as very few people have come forward to disclose their actual load.

The official said that in order to revise the power load the department had introduced this scheme so that if to have a blue print of the actual power usage in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in urban centres of the state.

“Even if our officers found any defaulter at the time of inspection we are also considering them under the VLDS and but despite this we have not got response as we were expecting from the people” said Gurbachan Singh, S.E PDD Jammu Division.

He said that there are around 80,000 consumers in domestic and commercial category for those the scheme is launched but only 1 percent Customers have been marked under the scheme, till the last date of announced period of Scheme we are not taking any harsh steps against those who come forward voluntary to disclose their power load but after that time we are going to take harsh steps against those who found defaulters” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that, Under the VLDS, consumers have been given time till July 9 to declare their actual load and the department has decided not to take legal action against defaulters under the tariff rule and FCSC norms in the electricity act 2010.

Apparently, the department had recently issued a circular under the Jammu and Kashmir Electricity Act 2010, under which it was mentioned that people involved in power theft could be jailed for a month or fined.

It is pertinent to mention here that efforts made to bring reforms in power sector have has to some extent failed to curb the huge power losses, because government departments, ministers, MLAs are themselves major defaulters. Recently Jammu and Kashmir Government has launched voluntary load disclosure scheme from May 10 to July 10 under which opportunity has been given to domestic and non-domestic commercial category consumers to get their unauthorised load regularized.