Dreadful Summer Ahead

• Power regulatory commission preparing new tariffs
• To meet the revenue gap of Rs. 5096 crore UPPCL to increase the tariff

Richeek Mishra

Agra. The summer of 2008 will be doubly hot for Agraites. Apart from the heat wave, the electricity bills too will make them sweat even more. So be ready for the hiked electricity bills from this April as Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) officials are busy preparing the new tariff rates. This time commission is all set to prepare the tariff for two consecutive financial years viz. 2007-08 and 2008-09.

According to the power corporation sources, commission is working hard to complete all the paper-work by March end. Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) and its four distribution companies have proposed the Aggregated Revenue Requirement (ARR) and tariff filings for the financial year 2007-08. However, only ARR has been filed for the financial year 2008-09.

Talking to DLAam, Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) Managing Director Kripal Singh said that considering the ARR, tariff and losses there may be the possibility of hiked tariff for urban domestic, commercial, industrial and other category consumers. He further said that till now he cannot say that how much amount will be increased but department is sure of the increased tariff in new financial year. The proposal for financial year 2007-08 submitted by UPPCL before the commission has an average hike of 13 percent. While the corporation has not yet submitted any tariff plan for the financial year 2008-09. However, to meet the revenue gap of Rs. 5096 crore, corporation is likely to further revise the tariff filings in the next financial year.

It is worth mentioning that UPPCL has increased the tariff by adding Rs. 10 per month in fixed and demand charge, after the commission has issued an interim order in October-07. This interim order was implemented to all the categories, except urban-domestic and rural-consumers.

Tariff will increase

Agra. The number of consumers, energy demand and the total connected load is likely to increase still the power tariff in the entire state is to be revised upwards. According to the UPPCL proposal the number of consumers will increase by 6,94,993 from financial year 2007-08 to 2008-09. Similarly, connected load will also increase by 4088 MW and the cost of power-purchase will also increase by Rs. 720 crore.

Agra Discom fails at many fronts

Power Corp MD upset with DVVNL's performance

• Poor revenue collection
• Bad performance in OTS
• Decreased combing
• Less number of franchisees

Richeek Mishra

Agra. Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) Managing Director Awanish Kumar Awasthi feeling upset with the performance of Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) in a meeting held recently has instructed DVVNL officials to perform well or face the consequences. The revenue collection in Agra region was 3.15 percent less than previous year's revenue. Irked over lesser collection, Awasthi instructed DVVNL officials to increase the revenue. Not only this, DVVNL Managing Director Kripal Singh had also assured Awasthi to collect Rs. 157 crore from One-Time-Settlement scheme (OTS).

According to the sources, till now the department was unable to reach near the target, and the scheme is to be closed on January 31. Official figures say that around 1900 cases were registered under OTS in the entire state and only about 10 crore rupees could be collected. Awanish Awasthi instructed all the power officials to improve their performance in this scheme. He also found that the officials were not working properly during combing in their particular areas to check the power theft. In the entire state, around 54,000 connections were checked during the combing out of which only 2060 connections were disconnected.

Not only this, the power corporation officials have registered only 1512 FIRs against defaulters and the total collection was only Rs. 15 crore. These figures show that officials are uninterested in combing operations. Moreover, the progress percentage of DVVNL in Aerial Bunch Conductor (ABC) extension work is only 26.40. With this percentage, the DVVNL cannot achieve the given the target, commented Awasthi. DVVNL is also not working properly on franchise distribution as it targeted to set up 125 collection based franchisees but there are only 57 franchisees.

Similarly, the tenders for 25 Input Based Franchisees were issued around two month back, but till now not even a single franchise has been selected. Revenue collection efficiency percentage is only 69.9 percent, which is far less than other subsidiaries of UPPCL. Considering the low performance of various subsidiaries, Awanish Awasthi warned power corporation officials to achieve the target or department will take stringent action against concerned officials.

MD further said that from few divisions we are getting fake reports of Revenue Loss Reduction Report (SDO wise work performance), which will not be tolerated. He instructed Chief Engineers and Superintendent Engineers to keep an eye on such reports. He further instructed to carry out proper billing in rural as well as in urban areas.

Power Officials Dismayed

Collection of pending bills affected due to hostile residents

Awareness among consumers is important: Randhir Singh

Richeek Mishra

Agra. "Agar connection kata to transformer jala denge…(If power supply is disconnected Transformer will be set ablazed) ", "are chinta mat karo neta ji se kah kar connection katne se rukva denge…(don't worry, Neta Ji will be approached to recommend for avoiding disconnection)", these have become the most common situations, power corporation's officials come across, much to their consternation.

Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) employees fail to collect long pending bills from densely populated areas of the city. The narrow lanes, angry consumers, mangled wires and lack of space for electrification hold these employees back to complete their responsibility. When power officials visit any rural or urban locality for collection of pending bills and try to disconnect the connections of defaulters, residents of that particular locality become angry and sometimes turn violent and exasperated corporation employees return from that area empty handed.

The most densely populated areas of the city from which the consumers are regularly evading pending bills are Kaji Pada, Dholikhar, Dhakran, Mantola, Panja Madrasa, Buddh Vihar, Nai Abadi, Machhli Bazaar and many others. Similarly, residents from many rural areas are also not depositing their pending bills. According to Executive Engineer division Ist GM Sharma, the residents always threaten us and turn violent if we take any stringent action.

The official records show that in the month of December-2007, department officials failed to recover pending bills from around 79,975 consumers from the entire Agra region. Only from rural Agra, 6638 pending bills could not be recovered. Not only this from the urban region around 38,205 pending bills are not recovered. The total number of un-recovered pending bills from Agra is 44,843, which is around 56 percent of the entire zone. Talking to DLAam, General Manager Randhir Singh said there is need of awareness among consumers to deposit their bills regularly. Local political leaders should also initiate regarding this issue.

Remember Ambedkar villages, forget others

• Other villages are facing acute power crisis
• Power Corporation using many tactics to collect revenue but fails on all fronts

Richeek Mishra

Agra. The team of secretaries might be satisfied with the development work carried out in the reviewed Ambedkar villages but the situation of power supply in rural areas and the collection of revenue is far from hunky dory. Principal Secretary JN Chamber and his team of bureaucrats are probably not aware of the skeletons in the wardrobe of Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL).

Considering the state government's special attention towards Ambedkar villages DVVNL officials may have worked properly but other villages and towns are not getting proper power supply. In a bid to save the crop of potato, DVVNL, few weeks back, took a shocking step disconnecting the power supply of around 100 villages to supply power to about 8000 tubewells.

In many villages transformers are not functioning, streetlights are defunct, while secretaries' team is satisfied with the development work carried out by Power Corporation. The rural consumers are facing acute problem of regular power cuts. Around 48068 rural power consumers are getting supply from the corporation while DVVNL is unable to collect pending electricity bills from them. About 6638 consumers of domestic, commercial and high voltage connections are evading deposition of electricity bills every month.

According to the DVVNL officials, they are regularly organising camps to collect pending dues but they fail. Power Corporation's One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme also fails to evoke good response. DVVNL Managing Director has assured to collect Rs 157 crore from this scheme within two months. Corporation's chief engineer and managing director have also assured to collect Rs 20 crore under OTS. However, up to January 25, Agra Discom was able to collect approximately Rs 2 crore.

Wait for a shocking electricity bill

Richeek Mishra
Agra. It seems that the power department is infallibly in the habit of serving bills in lakhs once you have applied for a connection, no matter whether you decide to continue it or not, your electricity bill will definitely be ever soaring.
After many complaints DLA am chose to meddle into one such matter and test the waters.
Nanak Ram, a resident of 3/415 Rui Ki Mandi wanted to discontinue his power connection. Power department officials disconnected it on April 21, 2006 according to the office memorandum (or PDC which is issued after a disconnection) issued to him. The original connection number was 171/072500 but the official memorandum showed it to be 171/052500.
When son of Nanak Ram, Moti Lal almost two years later applied for a new connection, his all paper procedures came to standstill, when he was informed about pending bill of Rs 1,20,219. He tried to convince DVVNL officials but they insisted to clear the pending bill first.
DLA am contacted SDO Shankar Lal Agnihotri, Jaipur House Sub-Division, but he refused to take any action even after presenting the office memorandum.
When asked to comment on the issue PK Sagar at executive engineer office said that the mistake was committed unintentionally, and termed it as a simple clerical mistake. He immediately instructed his subordinate Renu Saxena to look into the matter. Talking to DLA am, Renu Saxena said there may be the possibility of double-billing and the matter would be inquired into by SDO Agnihotri.
SDO at Jaipur House Sub-division out of office therefore Sagar was asked to instruct any other official. Sagar in turn asked to meet billing clerk in the office, who was also missing from his office.
Thus all the pleas and the exercise ended with assurations only which revealed that clerical mistakes are the most common things in the Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) and the consumers should pull up their socks and be prepared for a shocking bill.

Mistakes add to woes of consumers
A simple clerical mistake committed by a clerk could prove nightmarish for the consumers. The office memorandum passes through Junior Engineer, Sub-Division Officer and Executive Engineer, but no body detected the mistake. They just forwarded the papers by signing it casually.
Due to change in officials papers, computer operator also entered wrong data in the computer. When the consumer went for new connection officials showed him the pending amount of Rs. 1.20 lakh. The mistake carried out by the DVVNL officials' puts a big question mark on the credentials of the employees of the department.

Change in date creates problem
With clerical mistakes sleepless nights to consumers another case came to light in which the disconnection team members wrote some wrong facts and figures and upset the consumer.
The incident is of Kedar Nagar sub-division. DVVNL officials disconnected power supply to Lalsa Ram, a resident of A-23, Kedar Nagar. His connection number was 181/095060. Disconnection team members wrote two different dates on a single receipt. The receipt has two dates 06/2/06 and 06/2/07. According to the consumer, he is worried about the matter, as DVVNL officials are regularly disturbing the consumers.

Five MDs within six months!

• UPSRTC plans adversely affected

Richeek Mishra

Agra. Change in government usually brings rays of hope for the development of the state and its infrastructure. In Uttar Pradesh dozens of officers have been transferred after the oath taking ceremony of Chief Minister Mayawati. Amongst her famous achievements are good number of transfers within six months. Bureaucrats are always on their toes and ready with their bag and baggage. But it has adversely affected the working of Transport department in Agra.

Interestingly, Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has faced the transfer of five managing directors during the last six months. Consequently the department have been busy rather in 'hand over' and 'take over' business by outgoing and incoming officers respectively. "Administrative uncertainty has certainly affected the development of the department in Agra and also in the state," commented a senior UPSRTC official.

Mayawati is working in her typical style of functioning. However her admirers say that transfers and reshuffle are routine procedures, saying whatever is done is in the interest of the public. "If there is a complaint against an officer, you have to replace him with a competent person," administrative sources said. Whatever is the stand of the government in this regard, public in general feel, frequent transfers do not give opportunity to an officer to perform. "Why don't you pick a competent officer to deliver good rather than experimenting with too many," said a passenger Ramthirth Singh Rathore at Idgaah Station. You have to give time to perform he explained.

During his visit the then Managing Director of UPSRTC Sanjay Bhoosreddy, said we will change the face of bus stands in the city of Taj. Moreover, he had also assured to start two new satellite bus stands viz. Water Works and Normal Ground. But all the promises and assurance were forgotten. During the last two months, after Sanjay three MD's came to take over the charge viz. Sanjay Bhoosreddy, BS Bobade, Shambhu Sharan and now Kisan Singh Aoriya. Let's see who will be the next?Three more MD's came but none of them paid any attention towards the development of the city, while this is the most famous tourists place in the state. State government has approved Rs. 55 crore project to develop the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT).

Moreover, State Transport Authority (STA) also planned to construct a flyover at ISBT to connect it from highway and neighbouring colonies. STA is also willing to start two satellite bus stands. When the firebrand BSP supremo Mayawati came to power six months ago, she had emphasised categorically on more revenue generation. Due to frequent changes at higher level posts, the development work in the UPSRTC has been affected badly. Local administration is also not working properly. While UPSRTC has requested ADA and NN to construct link road and remove encroachment from the ISBT. But local administration is in slumber.

Doodh...doodh na piyo glassfull!

• Milk adulteration in city on rise
• Farmers & cooperative-societies involved in adulteration
• Adulteration carried out in late night hours
• Locals aware of adulterated milk

Richeek Mishra

Agra. India, it is said was flooded with milk during Lord Krishna's time. The situation could have perhaps improved with White Revolution. But alas! such things do not happen anymore. The proverbial river of milk does flow but its adulterated just like the river Yamuna in Agra. Now, the milkmen are supplying adulterated milk in the city. All are quite aware of the fact that the milk supplied to the local restaurants, houses and small tea shops is impure. Not only this, milkmen from rural areas are hand in gloves with farmers and cooperative-societies.

After hearing about the adulterated milk supply in the city, DLA am reporter tracked down the places from where the milk is sourced.Milk, delivered at homes, may not be that pure as told by the doctors and grandma to drink regularly. The vehicles in which the milk is transported is assembled locally at major market of transporters in the city. Jugaad is a common mode of transport used in Agra region. This local talent has infact further facilitated the adulteration of milk while it is being transported.

A milkman Ramdeen (name changed) resident of Umethra village from Baah told us that, "sahab main to sahi doodh lata hun, par ye sahkari sanstha walen hamara paisa kha jate hain, aur hame phir usme thoda bahut to dekhna hi padta hain" (I bring the pure milk, but I am cheated by cooperative societies which do not my full payment. that is why to compensate that I am compelled to..). He further told that many other milkmen also adulterate the milk with dirty water and sometimes they even use chemicals to make the milk more thick. At several villages around Agra, Fatehabad, Baah, Sikandra and Fatehpur Sikri, milk is being openly adulterated. DLA am tried to discuss with some milkmen. They told that the material is available in all the small towns.

Talking to DLA am, a small tea vender at Delhi Gate said that these milkmen are involved in adulteration of milk. First of all they add water and then to make the milk thick they use some chemicals. He further said that milk is adulterated at all the places and people know how to do it. "The harmful chemicals and material adulterated in milk cannot be detected by lactomter also," said Municipal Health Officer Dr. JP Gupta. He further said that harmful substances like caustic soda, refined oil, cutting oil, fat extracted from flesh, urea and glucose are a part of the endless list that are used to adulterate milk. The process begins in the late night hours and is over by the time the milk vans arrive in the morning.

Here's the procedure

In the begning, some fresh and pure milk is mixed with liquid that is used to wash fabrics. Followed by a dose of cutting oil. The mixture is then put aside for half-an-hour after which water is added according to the requirement. Soon, the synthetic milk is ready. Each village in the Agra and nearby regions produces around 300 litres of such milk daily, which is transported through vans. This milk is not transported in the regular aluminium cans but instead it is brought in plastic drums to the nearby chilling plants. There are dozens of such chilling units in Agra. This spurious milk is then sourced by various dairies and distributed in city and towns. It's a nexus where everyone except the consumer is benefited. The people involved in this process know that the dairy officials are aware of the adulteration. They get a profit of Rs 3-5 per litre. The cost of pure milk in the city varies between Rs. 14 to 25. For many, milk is healthy, nutritious and an energetic food but not anymore.