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Punjab

AIPEF urges J&K governor not to corporatise power department

September 22, 2019 03:56 PM

CHANDIGARH: All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has urged the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir not to corporatise Power Development Department of State.

AIPEF in a letter to the Governor of J&K has requested him to issue directions to Power Department authorities to restructure the power department so that all power utilities (Distribution, Transmission & Generation) remain integrated as one company like Himachal Pradesh in the larger interest of state for better coordination and better consumer service.

Shailendra Dubey Chairman AIPEF in his letter mentions that in several states a separate coordination body has been created which is the controlling body of multiple Discoms. It would be more effective, coordinated and economical to have one organization integrating the functions of distribution, generation and transmission as in case of KSEB Ltd and HPSEB Ltd.

The objective of combining generation, distribution and transmission under one integrated in one company is stated as a matter of policy for the States to adopt. The States are empowered and at liberty to re structure their respective power utilities so as to achieve the objective of integrated operation since electricity is a concurrent subject.

V K Gupta a Spokesperson of AIEF said that with the enactment of Electricity Act 2003, different states re-structured the State Electricity Boards unilaterally as per their wishes. Some states retained the entire state under 1 Discom as in Maharashtra and Uttrakhand while in case of Punjab and Tamil Nadu generation and distribution were retained as one company and transmission was separated out. In case of Kerala and Himachal Pradesh the integrated structure of generation, transmission and distribution was retained in one company in name of KSEB Ltd and HPSEB Ltd respectively.  

Manpower and HR functions are performed more efficiently and with uniformity with one organization as opposed to multiple companies.  In regulatory matters of state level, and dealing with SERC, it is practically effective with one Discom and generation and transmission combined. Creation of multiple units only complicates regulatory issues. 

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