The Hindu Business Line : APTransco measures to rationalise domestic tariff

In an open letter to over 45,000 employees of power utilities, Ms Rachel Chatterjee, Chairman and Managing Director of APTransco, said continued and sustained efforts of the employees to achieve internal efficiency targets would go a long way in rationalising the tariff.

She referred to the move by the State Government to provide an annual subsidy of Rs 9 crore for single-bulb consumers. This would benefit about 13 lakh consumers.

She said the utilities had already segregated 1,156 rural agricultural feeders from the feeders supplying to domestic sector in order to ensure assured and reliable power supply in the stipulated hours, without causing any voltage fluctuations to the domestic sector. This benefited both the farmers and students in the upcoming examination season.

Improvements in internal efficiency and availability of expected hydel generation of 5,980 million units (MUs) in the next financial year would help the power utility in rationalising the tariff.

The utilities could save about Rs 1,000 crore in the form of reduction in transmission and distribution losses, which came down to 23.1 per cent this year as against 33.9 per cent 2000-01. Debt swapping of high-cost loans by low-cost loans from Rural Electrification Corporation and other financial institutions helped in saving Rs 716 crore more.

In order to improve productivity, the performance of engineers and other staff on the field would be reviewed at the district level, she said.

Both the Transco and discoms (distribution companies) had formed special teams in districts to monitor the power supply situation.

Asking the staff to set a benchmark for efficiency in the power sector, she said their responsibility would grow multi-fold in the future. The total energy handled by Andhra Pradesh utilities was estimated at 49,770 MUs in the next financial year as against Rs 42,000 MUs in 2000-01.

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