New Delhi

BJP targets Delhi Government over faulty power meters

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has turned the heat on the Delhi Government over the issue of fast-running electronic power meters by demanding a public apology to the power consumers from the Chief Minister and the Power Minister as the Power Consumer Advocates’ Committee constituted by the Government itself in December last has found that the meters of the power companies sent for testing to the Central Power Research Institute in Bangalore were not conforming to prescribed standards.

Various BJP leaders on Tuesday demanded that the Delhi Government apologise for the lapse. Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan also demanded that criminal cases be lodged against the companies and their accounts examined by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Dr. Vardhan has also demanded that Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna issue fresh orders to the Delhi Government and the power companies to replace the fast-running meters with accurate ones. He has also sought a refund of the excess billed amount and the interest thereon to the consumers.

Former Union Minister and BJP national secretary Vijay Goel said the large-scale allegations of electronic power meters running fast had been proved true now with the “Electricity Consumer Advocate Committee” set up by the Delhi Government admitting as much following an enquiry.

Stating that hundreds of crores of rupees had been collected by the private power distribution companies from consumers through inflated bills, he said this excessive amount collected should be recovered with interest from the discoms. Mr. Goel said at the time of purchase of the electronic meters itself the discoms knew that the designing of wiring in Delhi was such that it would show readings four to five times higher than the consumption. Yet the meters were installed to fleece the consumers, he said.

The senior BJP leader also ridiculed the claim of the Delhi Government that it was still charging farmers and domestic consumers at the rate of financial year 2004-05.

“This is totally unjustified because these rates were fixed keeping in view the possibility of 43 per cent electricity loss whereas the companies are now themselves claiming that the loss in distribution has come down to merely 26 per cent. So where is the benefit of 17 per cent saving or Rs.1,600 crore per annum going?” he demanded to know.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Saket Vijay Jolly said the Committee had also criticised the levelling of 24 times penalty on consumers.

“Such a high penalty is nothing but fleecing of the poor consumers at the hands of the discoms. What justification can be there for fining someone a whopping sum of Rs.2,400 if he owes you merely Rs.100?” he said.

Stating that the Committee headed by retired Delhi High Court Judge R. C. Chopra had in its first meeting questioned the installation of fast-running meters, which were giving readings up to 2.5 per cent faster as against the 0.5 per cent margin allowed, Mr. Jolly said it was also ironical that while the Delhi Government’s own panel and the Bangalore-based Central Power Research Institute had found the electronic metes faulty, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had in December stated that now that people have to pay through correct meters, they find their power bills inflated.

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