BENGALURU: The state government has caused a revenue loss of Rs 1,434 crore to electricity supply companies through to its failure to draw power from state-owned power generating companies.
According to the CAG report tabled in the Council on Friday, the energy available from Bellary Thermal Power station (BTPS)-Unit I and Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS)-Unit 1 to 8 from 2009-10 to 2012-13 was about 54,435.695 million units (MU). However the total power drawn during the period was 46,605.227 MUs.
Failure to draw about 7,830.468 MUs of available power caused a total revenue loss estimated at Rs 1,434 crore. The report said the government bought power at higher rates from other sources instead of buying from the state’s generating stations. This resulted in ESCOMs incurring losses, which is ultimately passed on to consumers.
The CAG also found that slippages in project schedule of BTPS-Unit I and II had caused an additional burden on consumers by over Rs 2,775 crore. While the commissioning of BTPS-Unit I was delayed by over 15 months, it took another 27 months for BTPS-Unit II to be completed, the report said.
During this delayed period, the state had procured energy from private sources at higher rates to mitigate the shortfall, imposing an additional burden of Rs 1,518.69 crore.
Rs 27 cr Loss From Golden Chariot
The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) sustained a loss of over Rs 27 crore till March 2014 over the Golden Chariot luxury tourist train project, stated the CAG report.
The report observed that the company is suffering losses mainly due to the unfavourable terms loaded against it in the service agreement with its management partner. “The objective of the project is to promote tourism. But it was not achieved as the project was not well thought-out and planned,” the CAG report said.
The long period of the service agreement with the management partner has left KSTDC with no option but continue the service till the expiry date despite the losses. Apart from the unfavourable service agreement, operational deficiencies like running more coaches than required have resulted in unnecessary haulage charges. The train is being operated even when occupancy is less than the number stipulated for it to run.
The report said the corporation couldn’t recover the operating cost even after being given financial assistance of Rs 13.22 crore by the government.
