BHUBANESWAR: Even as erratic power supply, low voltage and frequent breakdown of distribution network without external provocation are fast becoming the trademark of Tata Power-managed distribution companies, Upobhokta Mahasangha, a state-level power consumers forum, has asked the discoms to pay compensation to the tune of Rs 5,000 to each of the nearly one crore consumers of Odisha.
In a petition to the state government through chief secretary Pradeep Jena, the forum said Tata Power, which has management control over four distribution companies - TPCODL, TPNODL, TPSODL and TPWODL - has violated the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (Licensees’ Standards of Performance) Regulations, 2004 and the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 notified by the Central government on December 31, 2020.
While framing regulations for a guaranteed standard of performance for the distribution licensees, OERC has also prescribed the level of compensation to be paid to the consumers for default in services on 13 counts. Calculating the average compensation of each consumer at Rs 5,000 in the last three years (which may be more if the records maintained by the discoms are verified), forum president Ramesh Chandra Satpathy said the total claim for compensation will be Rs 4,959.35 crore. Noting that over 99.18 lakh consumers are not getting quality supply as per standards prescribed by OERC, Satpathy said the panel should to act as per rules and direct discoms to pay compensation for non-performance.