PUDUCHERRY: Ahead of the upcoming Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) meeting, the Puducherry Civil Society Organisation has demanded accountability and transparency in billing and recruitment practices, expansion of smart meter coverage, and penalisation of power theft, among others.
The JERC meeting on fixing Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) petition by the Puducherry Electricity Department (PED) for fiscal 2025-2026 to 2029-2030 is scheduled on April 29.
In a detailed memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister and officials, Puducherry State Students and Parents Welfare Association president V Balasubramanian sought government action on expanding smart meter coverage to all regions, ensuring accountability in billing and recruitment practices, recovering Rs 500 crore-plus dues, penalising power thefts without burdening consumers, and taking meaningful steps to resolve the grievances raised in previous JERC meetings. The outcomes of the issues raised in the 2024 JERC meeting have still not been made public, he said.
The PED’s five-year business plan for 2025–30 also came under fire for being overly technical and inaccessible. Citizens have demanded a simplified summary that clearly outlines the proposed actions and their likely impact on service delivery and consumer costs. The letter also raises pressing concerns about continued billing irregularities and questions how the government plans to protect consumer rights in light of faulty metering and inconsistent billing practices. "The government must clarify its plans for privatisation of the electricity sector, the timeline for smart meter installation, and measures to address unaccounted power consumption," Balasubramanian said.
The burden of financial losses, he argues, is being unfairly shifted onto consumers, prompting renewed calls for a vigilance investigation. Public anxiety is also mounting over the lack of clarity regarding the government’s privatisation plans and the uneven rollout of smart meters. While urban Puducherry has seen some progress, residents of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam are allegedly being forced to purchase meters from private vendors, with no official support or guidelines in place.
Citing that the solar energy scheme has also seen delays, particularly in implementing reverse metering mechanisms, Balasubramanian urged the government to provide updates on the initiative and introduce incentives for citizens to adopt renewable energy solutions.
Furthermore, the letter draws attention to a staggering `500 crore in unrecovered electricity dues and criticises the government for not taking stringent measures to recover the losses. It also calls for a reduction in electricity consumption by government departments as a step toward easing the financial strain on the system.
As part of broader reforms, the forum proposed the installation of advanced metering systems at transformer levels to monitor energy distribution and reduce power theft. They also demanded the elimination of fixed charges and surcharges, which they say unfairly penalise regular consumers while allowing inefficiencies to persist unchecked by defaulters.