NT Reporter
Margao
Chief Electrical Engineer Stephen Fernandes on Friday said that smart meters will benefit consumers as they will not be required to keep a security deposit and will instead pay in advance for electricity usage much like dish TV services, which would also help curb wasteful power consumption and boost savings.
Replying to a question on whether power supply would be disrupted in case of insufficient balance, during the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) hearing, Fernandes replied in the affirmative, but said it would ensure discipline among consumers, many of whom fail to pay bills on time, leading to mounting arrears.
“Even when the department decides to take action, political interference and muscle power often prevent disconnection of such connections,” he said, adding that the department is implementing smart meters in a phased manner within the department before rolling them out to the general public. Participants at the hearing urged the department to conduct public consultations on overload charges before imposing fines, stating that many consumers are unaware of such provisions and require better awareness.
Meanwhile, villagers from Velim raised concerns over frequent power fluctuations, stating that erratic supply has damaged several household appliances.
Responding to the
issue, Fernandes said the department is working to improve electrical infrastructure to provide quality power supply.
He said infrastructure needs to be upgraded and that the department would also look at bringing down bunched cables, which have failed due to difficulty in fault detection, while replying to concerns raised by villagers from the Velim constituency.
He said bunched cables were initially considered a cheaper alternative to underground cabling, but due to delays in detecting faults, the system failed. He said the department should have stopped drawing such lines as soon as the issue came to light.
On power fluctuations, Fernandes said three infrastructure improvement projects are pending for Velim and that the situation would improve once they are completed.
