Centre also wants Discoms to cut time taken to address issues over meters
Published Date – 11:25 PM, Wed – 20 December 23
Hyderabad: Getting a new electricity connection might not take much time from now on. The union Power Ministry has started an exercise to reduce the time period of getting a new electricity connection.
As per the new norms suggested by the Power Ministry, Discoms have to make new connections available within three days in metro cities, seven days in municipal areas and 15 days in rural areas after the consumer submits a complete application.
According to Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, the Discoms have to make available a new connection within seven days in metro cities, 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas.
In Telangana too, similar norms are being followed. The new norms will reduce the time period of getting a new electricity connection by half compared to the existing process. The Power Ministry recently released a draft making amendments to the electricity rules and inviting opinions and suggestions from the public.
As per the draft, Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs) have to notify within six months the rules explaining how many days to give individual connection to the residents of housing society, residential colony and residential welfare association.
In the wake of increase in the use of electric vehicles in the country, Discoms have been asked to provide a separate connection for electric vehicle charging if requested by individual consumer, group housing society, residential colony, residential welfare association, any other system registered with the government, according to the new draft.
If the consumer complains that there is no correlation between the electricity consumption and the meter reading, the Discoms have to install an additional meter within three days and test their electricity consumption, the draft stated.
According to the new norms suggested by the Power Ministry, any electricity meter has to be tested within the time prescribed by the Electricity Commission not exceeding 30 days after receiving a complaint of malfunctioning and the technical feasibility study has to be completed within 15 days for the consumers who want to produce renewable energy and the result of the study should be communicated to them.
As per State Discoms officials, they are managing to provide new Low Tension (LT) connections within seven working days after receiving the applications with all the require documents. Similarly, in municipal areas, the connections were being provided within 15 days and about 30 days in rural areas, the officials said.
In cities, domestic power connection issues were being resolved within four hours and in eight hours in rural areas, a Discom official said. Similarly, breakdown of lines and cables in cities were being resolved within six hours and 24 hours in rural areas, he said, adding that complaints related to transformer failure were being resolved within 24 hours in cities and towns, and 48 hours in rural areas.
