Latest news with #NandLalSharma
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Haryana power regulator notifies code tweak for simpler procedure
Chandigarh: To simplify electricity-related procedures and promote consumer-friendly governance, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) on Friday notified the sixth amendment to the Electricity Supply Code Regulations, 2014. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The amendment came into immediate effect upon its publication in the Haryana govt gazette and is applicable across the state. Under the amendment, the existing provision was: In the case of LT connections (other than domestic supply connections), where the transformer has been installed by the consumer and is exclusively for his supply, the transformer, if and when required to be replaced/repaired for any reason including theft, shall be so replaced/repaired by sharing 20% cost by the consumer and 80% by the licensee (for replacement of DT within the warranty period) or 10% of the cost by the consumer and 90% by the licensee (for replacement of DT beyond the warranty period) except when the damage is due to natural events including cyclones, floods, storms, or other occurrences beyond the consumer's control, in which case the licensee shall bear the entire cost of repair/replacement. A provision in the amendment provides relief to farmers. If an agricultural power (AP) connection needs to be shifted within a 70-meter radius of its original location on the same landholding, due to unavoidable reasons like borewell failure, land acquisition by the govt, or water salinity, then the entire cost of relocation shall be borne by the licensee. This cost will be recovered by the licensee through its annual revenue requirement (ARR). HERC chairperson Nand Lal Sharma, while approving the amendment, said this regulation was a historic step toward empowering consumer rights and extending genuine relief to farmers. It will make the electricity system more transparent, accountable, and technically robust, he added.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Delink CAM & power backup charges from electricity bill, orders Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission
Gurgaon: Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission has directed decoupling of electricity bills and common area maintenance (CAM) and power backup charges through diesel gensets. It has also said that residents should receive an itemised bill specifying under different headers all charges recovered through prepaid meters. For lakhs of people living in condominiums, this will bring transparency to monthly charges that they cough up and help reduce friction between maintenance agencies and residents on arbitrary charges. Societies club CAM, backup and electricity charges through prepaid meters. Electricity supply is disconnected in case of non-payment or delay in payment of CAM charges. Commission chairman Nand Lal Sharma and Member Mukesh Garg, in their order dated July 4, instructed that all charges recovered through prepaid meters be itemised clearly, with components such as DG supply charges and CAM charges listed separately. "Such itemisation must strictly conform to the rules, thereby ensuring utmost transparency for consumers," stated the commission. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon The commission stressed that no electricity connection should be disconnected if residents pay their legitimate electricity bills based on consumption. Furthermore, any fixed charges previously imposed on domestic consumers, which are against regulations, should be promptly refunded. These refunds should be made either through transparent adjustments in subsequent electricity bills or direct payments to affected residents. A detailed statement of such rebilling, adjustments and refunds must be prepared and submitted to the petitioners within three months. The order was issued following a petition by residents of Pyramid Urban Homes-II in Sector 86 against the developer, Pyramid Infratech, maintenance agency B D Facility Management and the discom's SDO in Manesar. In 2013, HERC made it mandatory for group housing complexes to have a single-point electricity connection. This means that a housing complex with 20 or more residential units has one primary electricity connection, from which individual flats receive branch connections. The complex is billed based on the reading from the single-point connection's electricity meter, and the total bill is divided among residents according to their usage. Developers and RWAs have been providing connections to flats from this single-point connection and charging flat owners, leading to arbitrary charges. In the city, residents of group housing societies currently pay between Rs 7 and Rs 14 per unit for electricity, whereas direct domestic consumers pay between Rs 2 and Rs 7 per unit. Different rates apply to different consumption slabs, but group housing societies have flat charges, resulting in higher bills compared to direct customers. Ashwani Singla, the petitioner's counsel, said charges for issues like incorrect parking are also deducted from prepaid meters, and if the meter balance runs out, even at night, the power supply is disconnected. Aerika Singh, Aerika Singh, counsel for the developer and facility management company, contended that all billed charges, including those for DG backup and CAM, were due and payable by residents, with no allegations of higher tariffs being charged. Initially, residents approached Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) in the city against arbitrary charges and violations of HERC tariffs. In Oct 2022, the forum ordered that no electricity connection should be snapped except for non-payment of the bill, and the SDO must ensure that disconnections do not occur due to non-payment of charges unrelated to electricity consumption. After the order was not complied with, residents moved HERC in 2024. The commission, after hearing both sides, noted that the main grievances were incorrect charges, the absence of telescopic tariffs, imposition of fixed electricity charges not applicable to domestic consumers and collection of unrelated charges through power bills. The commission also said, according to single-point supply regulations, bills for society residents must adhere strictly to the tariff approved by the commission. It directed the proper implementation of HERC tariff, ensuring billing is accurately calculated based on individual consumption to maximize consumer benefits.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Discoms face losses due to poor market assessment by Haryana Power Purchase Centre
Chandigarh: Call it a lack of expertise or serious lapse on part of the Haryana Power Purchase Centre (HPPC), the short-term power agreements made by it at exorbitant rates have ended up shelving the stocks at throwaway rates under the exchange. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to information, during FY 2023-24, the HPPC contracted 7,740 million units of energy worth Rs 5,257.54 crore through short-term agreements from private buyers as augmentation for peak days. Later, the HPPC indulged in trade, and after failing to understand the market trends and demand and supply assessments, exchanged the agreements with other players at much cheaper rates, resulting in escalation in the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses to the power discoms. All this came to light after the orders of the Haryana Energy Regulatory Commission (HERC), which highlighted the lapse while disposing of the aggregate revenue requirements (ARR) filed by the Haryana power utilities for FY 2025-26. The regulatory body headed by Nand Lal Sharma cautioned the HPCC against such losses and asked it to put experts in place. The HPPC arranges power through short and long-term agreements for consumption. Haryana has an average consumption of 8,000 MW to 10,000 MW on average days, which goes up to 15,000 MW. Since Haryana has less of its own generation, largely the power is arranged through its share in national hydel and thermal projects along with long-term agreements. The HPPC is the nodal agency mandated for this arrangement based on demand and supply assessments given by the electricity distribution companies. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sources said the lack of expertise in assessing market trends as well as non-availability expert staff to monitor the markets on a 24x7 basis caused HPPC losses. Meanwhile, it was claimed that the state had surplus energy during the contentious period, which forced the agency to sell off or exchange electricity with other centres across the country at lower rates. The said stocks were procured through special permission given by the govt of Haryana for the preparation of peak days. All this happened when Ranjit Singh Chautala was the power minister, claimed the sources. "Electricity cannot be stored. Secondly, the consumption of electricity, demand, and supply is dependent on weather conditions. In case of good rains, you may have less demand, while less rain can escalate the demand. But you have to have adequate arrangements as an agrarian state. It's not just Haryana, the situation is encountered by other power purchase centres as well," remarked a senior power discom official. MSID:: 120669575 413 |
