PATNA: The Bihar State Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) has given new directives to the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB), which include installation of pre-paid meter system in households to minimise revenue losses. BSEB is incurring losses to the tune of over Rs 3 crore per day.
Pre-paid meters eliminate the cost of meter reading, bill serving, disconnection/reconnection and avoids wrong readings, delay in bill serving etc. “Initially, the board may procure some pre-paid meters after ensuring service facilities and provide them to some domestic consumers as a pilot study to encourage and make them observe the advantages of having pre-paid meter facility,” BERC’s directive to BSEB says.
Subsequently, the board may suggest to consumers to purchase prepaid meters at their own cost, by offering some rebate, say about 10%, in energy charges. There shall be no security for prepaid consumers.
“The action taken report (ATR) should be furnished to the commission by April 30 next year,” the BERC’s directive says.
Similarly, distribution transformers can play an important role in reducing losses in the distribution system. So, BERC has decided that the BSEB should go in for procurement of distribution transformers upto 200 kVA with a minimum of two-star rating or star level. This will apply for purchase of all new transformers for which tender has not been floated by the board. ATR in this regard should be furnished to the commission by April 30 2011.
The BERC has said that energy accounting should be done in areas where meters have already been provided to distribution transformers. BSEB has also been directed to provide meters to all the balance distribution transformers within six months. The commission has sought reports in this regard every month.
“If the quantum of energy billed is less than 85% of the energy sent out from a particular distribution transformer, the board should hold the officer concerned responsible for it and ask him to explain the reasons,” BERC has said in its new directives.
BSEB has stated that 16035 distribution transformers out of 51996 have been provided with meters. But so far, transformer-wise energy accounting has not been done. “The status report of energy accounting in respect of those distribution transformers in which meters have been installed should be reported by March 31 next year,” BERC has told BSEB.
The commission had issued a number of directives in the tariff order 2006-07 and 2008-09 to improve the performance of the board. But none of the important directives have been fully implemented. The board has been directed to take effective steps to comply with all the directives. The most important directive is 100% metering of all the consumers.
“Non-implementation of important directives is gross violation of the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003. The board should take immediate action to provide meters to all consumers,” said BERC.
Read more: BSEB told to install prepaid meters – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/BSEB-told-to-install-prepaid-meters/articleshow/7114799.cms#ixzz18OmuwyPz