
Deputy CM asks SPDCL to adopt modern tech, raise consumer awareness on power services
Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka has asked the senior engineers and Directors of the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Ltd (TGSPDCL) to adopt modern technology that align with the evolving needs of consumers in the digital era and improve the delivery of services.
In a meeting with the officials of the Southern Discom here on Tuesday, Mr. Vikramarka, who handles the portfolios of Energy and Finance, told them to expedite the complete implementation of the Feeder Outage Management System (FOMS), which would ensure real-time alerts to the control room whenever there was a power supply disruption.
The Discom officials explained to the Deputy Chief Minister that FOMS had already been implemented across 5,500 of the 6,500 feeders under the SPDCL limits. The Deputy CM told them to integrate the remaining feeders into the system swiftly.
He congratulated the Discom for earning the ISO 9000 certification, acknowledging it as a commendable achievement based on performance in areas such as operations, consumer service delivery and timely clearance of office files/resolution of grievances. He encouraged officials to continue improving and aim for more such awards in the future.
Mr. Vikramarka also reviewed the new dress code designed for field staff and offered suggestions for its implementation. He stated that Directors were appointed based on their extensive experience and proven capabilities and asked them to create and implement an action plan to complete the long-pending tasks within their respective domains.
He noted that new transformers and sub-stations were being set up as soon as the load on the existing ones reached 70%, ensuring uninterrupted power supply through advanced planning. He stated that a comprehensive solar power strategy would soon be rolled out, and instructed department staff to be fully prepared for its implementation.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary of the Energy department Naveen Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of TGSPDCL Md. Musharraf Faruqui along with Directors and senior engineers.
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The Hindu
7 days ago
- The Hindu
State to instal solar power plants in all govt. buildings
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Hindustan Times
03-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ensure uninterrupted power supply: GB Nagar DM to discom
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Time of India
02-08-2025
- Time of India
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1 2 Jaipur: Consumers are grappling with erroneous, inflated power bills that require payment of the full amount, facing the threat of supply disconnection if unable to do so. Discom rules are often overlooked by authorities, officials said. According to officials, supply disconnection is a lengthy process, providing consumers the right to present their position and offering several opportunities to do so. However, a lack of awareness of the rules among consumers and the indifferent, authoritarian attitude of authorities at the lower level of the administration ultimately lead to harassment. They said as per the existing rules, customers are required to pay average monthly charges in cases of inflated bills and follow the process to settle disputes. "We have an internal grievance redressal (IGR) cell set up for resolving bill payment disputes arising out of faulty meter reading or overshooting contracted demand (for large consumers). Customers should not be asked to pay the full amount pending the process," a discom official said. Payment disputes involving up to Rs 20,000 are resolved at the AEN. Disputes up to Rs 50,000 are addressed by the XEN. Cases between Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh are taken up at the circle level and above that at the discom's corporate level. By the time the disputes reach the corporate level, the number is reduced to about five to seven. The highest level of grievance redressal cell is represented by the managing director of discoms, an independent official from the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission, and a senior accounts person. In fact, the IGR asks for deposits of money in the disputed cases, but they mostly involve high-value cases. Often, it is 25% or 50% of the disputed amount, depending on the nature of the case. But the rates are not uniform, said a discom official. "In most cases, the genuineness of the bill raised is known because the consumer has a record. If a meter malfunctions and the consumption of units goes up, it's easier to solve it. But in cases involving large customers when their consumption overshoots their contracted demand, we demand a deposit of 25% or 50% of the disputed amount," said the official. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !