600 Energy meters not sent for lab testing, RTI.

Punjab Newsline:Anshu Chhabra:Sunday, February 12, 2012.

LUDHIANA: The inhabitants in the city insisted a probe against Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL)’s laxness to send energy meters to the ME lab for testing. Keeping in mind the procedures as stipulated down by PSPCL, all the removed or replaced energy meters should have been sent to the ME lab within one week for testing.

According to the information obtained under the RTI Act, a complaint has been made to the CEO and Chairman of PSPCL against the lapses of 600 energy meters which had been removed from the premises of consumers but not sent in the lab for testing .In case of tampering or broken seals, the energy meters should be sent for lab testing in the presence of consumers within a week and incase of power theft penalty should be imposed on consumers depending upon the average consumption. According to the information provided by Deputy Chief Engineers, 236 defective meters under the APDRP scheme, 158 from Aggar Nagar, 49 from Janta Nagar and 180 defective energy meters from east circle have not been sent to the lab for testing.

The failure to submit energy meters is seen as an act of willful dereliction. It is suspected that the staff members might have been involved in some deals with the consumers for saving them from the penalty of electricity theft and causing huge loss of revenue to the PSPCL.

A probe against the officials involved who had caused the loss of revenue because of the negligence to change the energy meters and not keeping track of people involved in electricity theft in case of tampered energy meters.