SHILLONG, May 17: The Union Ministry of Power has directed discoms (power distribution companies) in all states and union territories to ensure 24×7 uninterrupted power supply to all electricity consumers in the country.
The Ministry has also directed the discoms to provide compensation to consumers for non-supply of electricity beyond a particular number of hours as specified under the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 notified by the Centre on December 31, 2020 which mandates distribution licensees to provide uninterrupted power to all consumers.
“These rules also provide rights to consumers to avail minimum standards of service for supply of electricity notified by state commissions,” says a letter issued on Wednesday by Jamiruddin Ansari, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Power to the Additional Chief Secretary/ Principal Secretary/ Secretary of the Power department in all states/UTs. A copy of the letter is available with The Shillong Times.
The letter also mentions that it has been brought to the knowledge of the Ministry that some of the distribution licensees are not complying with the rules and are resorting to avoidable load-shedding due to various reasons.
“This has been viewed seriously by this Ministry. In view of the above, it is requested to ensure supply of 24×7 power to electricity consumers in accordance with provisions of these rules. Any violation/non-compliance with rules will result in action against the management of such discoms for imposition of penalty under the Act. This letter is issued with the approval of the Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy,” the letter adds.
The Power Ministry’s missive comes at a time when Meghalaya is witnessing one of its worst spell of load-shedding in recent memory. Residents in Shillong and Tura are bearing eight hours of power cuts daily and 10 hours in the rest of the state. The state government has made it clear that the power crisis will end only with the arrival of the monsoon.
