Amid all the alleged scandals and failures to act against government and industrial power defaulters, the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) has now turned its eyes on ordinary people.
The power corporation has asked all electricity consumers in the State to declare and revise their contracted power demand as per their actual consumption through self-declaration process.
In a statement issued today, MeECL Chairman and Managing Director Arunkumar Kembhavi said that as per the provision of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003 and the MSERC Electricity Supply Code Regulation, 2018 clause 10.1 (11), “the consumer should at all time restrict their consumption within the declared contract demand/ declared connected load. If at any time the consumer exceeds his contracted demand/ load without prior permission of the licensee, the licensee will have the right to disconnect the supply.”
Kembhavi said that the consumer must declare the contracted demand/load as actual and revise it from time to time otherwise it will attract penal action.
“It has been observed that as on date, a staggering 3,19,413 consumers (including 58,828 in Shillong city) under different categories have declared their connected demand/load as 1 Kilo Watt (kW) or below. The above-mentioned figure does not commensurate with the present load pattern of the State. In Khasi Jaiñtia Hills people extensively use heaters and in Garo Hills air conditions,” Kembhavi said.
He also informed that Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) has decided to grant a one-time amnesty for all categories of consumers (including domestic, commercial, government departments) to declare and revise their contracted demand/load as per their actual consumption through self-declaration process.
Kembhavi said that consumers should fill up the ‘Self Declaration of Connected Load’ form and submit it to their respective office of the Assistant Executive Engineer, MePDCL within one month from the date of this notification.
“MePDCL will verify the applications and revise the contracted demand/load on basis of the applied load factor and serve notice to the consumer to pay the additional security deposit,” he said.
He also said that after expiry of one month, the MePDCL has the right to unilaterally increase the contracted demand on the basis of the load factor and the consumption during the previous 12 months as mandated under Electricity Supply Code and serve notice to pay the additional security deposit and in case of failure, initiate the proceedings as per law including disconnection, recovery of penalty among others.
The same process will be followed for all other consumers having contract load of 2kW, 3kW, 4kW, 5kW subsequently to ascertain their actual load.
