24×7 supply means little without accountability, JERC told
Panaji: The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has called for stricter accountability from the Electricity Department Goa (EDG) and sought stronger compensation mechanisms for consumers affected by power outages and supply disruptions.
In its feedback to the draft ‘Specific Conditions of Transmission and Distribution License Applicable to the Electricity Department, Goa Regulations, 2026’, the industry body stated that the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) should strengthen implementation provisions in the proposed regulations.
“Fix the compensation mechanism. The existing standards of performance as revealed in the draft are diluted in practice due to broad exclusions and long restoration timeframes,” GCCI stated in its suggestion letter to the JERC, Gurugram.
It said that the current rules give the EDG a long time to restore power before the compensation kicks in. “For instance, 24 hours for urban areas. By the time that limit is hit, consumers have already suffered,” GCCI stated, while seeking reduction of the compensation threshold to about six to eight hours.
The industry body also sought narrower exclusions for the EDG from paying compensation in cases such as force majeure, grid failure, maintenance work or unavoidable circumstances.
GCCI further recommended that compensation paid to consumers should not be recovered through future tariff hikes. Instead, it stated that the cost should be recovered from officials responsible for failing to resolve outages.
“The draft regulations must deliver real relief to industry and households, rather than remain on paper,” GCCI stated, adding that the 24×7 power supply rule and compensation clause would be ineffective if loopholes allowed the department to avoid paying compensation.
The JERC recently invited feedback on the draft regulations, with May 20 fixed as the last date for submissions.
The draft regulations state that the Electricity Department Goa is the deemed transmission and distribution licensee responsible for providing 24×7 uninterrupted power supply under Clause 8 and introduces penalty provisions under Clause 9 for non-compliance.
The regulations also mandate annual energy audits, a public customer charter and compliance with the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020.
GCCI submitted its suggestions to the JERC with a copy to the Chief Electrical Engineer, Electricity Department Goa.
