Chescom to set up more transformers

The Chamundeswari Electricity Supply Company (Chescom) has brought down the number of power disruptions in Mysore over the last two months. It has done so by monitoring the disruptions.

Reports are obtained on the disruptions from all the 53 section feeders in its jurisdiction where 26,000 transformers are maintained. To improve the quality of power, an additional 6,000 transformers are being installed and another six feeders are being added, said Chescom MD Lakshminarasimhaiah.

Addressing Chescom officers, after they were briefed on the recent Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) regulations by KERC advocacy's Y G Muralidharan and Lakshman Reddy, the MD said all the section officers have been provided with mobile phones.

Consumers will soon have facilities to contact them directly and lodge a complaint. To avoid discrepancies in the bills, a system of bill monitoring will be introduced.

Muralidharan told the officers, significant changes have taken place in the state's power sector and the electricity supply companies have to strictly adhere to KERC's regulatory measures.

"You are for customers. You exist for their sake. The phase of monopoly is gone. Customers are the stake-holders today. Escoms have to develop a corporate outlook now. The standards of performance is the most important document or the parameter that you should maintain. By setting standards, accountability has been brought in," said Muralidharan. The mindset that customers are our paymasters has to be your approach. You should make a beginning from now on and adhere to the KERC's 21 regulations," he added.

While Chescom is yet to constitute the consumer grievance from, 75 per cent of bills issued in Sirsi, Shimoga district, have one mistake or other. The KERC is therefore carrying out a study of the bills issued by Escoms," KERC advocacy officer said and asked Chescom to set up a consumer grievance forum.

Asking the Chescom to send a quarterly report on the complaints it has handled to the KERC, he said, "I am wonderstruck why online bill payment is yet to be introduced in Mysore. Electronic clearance system (ECS) is the best way to enable customers to pay their bills."

"Even on tariff, there has to be transparency at the Escom's level. They should tell the customers what the new tariff will be and why. The customer should not approach the KERC. That should become the responsibility of the government or the company," he added.

A consumer activist, present at the meeting, complained that in one portion of the southern part of Mysore, power shutdowns were very frequent, almost a daily occurrence.

The Rs 43-crore recent modernisation works entrusted to an Andhra Pradesh company were sub-standard and needed monitoring. As long queues are seen at the bill paying counters, ECS facility should be introduced as in Bangalore.