New power connections in a week

Speaking to reporters here, Karandlaje said officials of all the Escoms in the State had been instructed to ensure that there was no delay in providing new electricity connections especially in urban areas. The minister said she had initiated the move after receiving complaints from consumers on inordinate delays and harassment by escoms’ staff while sanctioning new connections.

“Officials responsible for new connections will have to provide a written statement citing the reasons for the delay if the applications are not processed and cleared within one week.

We will also not hesitate to initiate disciplinary action if officials are found to have deliberately delayed the sanctioning of new connections”, Karandlaje said. However, the new norm will be applicable only to urban areas.

Karandlaje said committees will soon be constituted at the gram panchayat level for coordination with in the energy department on power-related issues. She admitted that damaged transformers were being not repaired on time especially in rural areas, and said that eeveral repair centres had been blacklisted for not abiding to tender norms. As many as 5,000 damaged transformers languished in godowns in the Malnad region alone.  The formation of the new committees would help in better coordination and communication between the consumers in rural areas and the escoms, she said.

Various Escoms in the State faced severe shortage of staff and the government would soon take up recruitment of linesmen on a priority basis. 

Replying to a query, the minister said she had cancelled licences provided to eight mini-hydel project following inordinate delay in the commencement of the projects.
She said the government had cut down on purchase of power from the private sector, after demand for power had come down from a peak of 140 mu to 108 mu, following copious rainfall in the State.