The issues raised at a public hearing today in Sector 6 included deduction of CAM charges from prepaid electricity meters and indiscriminate charges levied by builders.
Officials of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) conducted a jan sunwayi, or public hearing, for residents of Noida at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra in Sector 6 on Friday. The hearing was chaired by Shivkant Prasad, the lokpal of UPPCL.
Residents of various Noida societies and members of FONRWA attended the public hearing, during which they alleged that builders often deducted common area maintenance (CAM) charges from their prepaid electricity meters, which was against UPPCL norms. The Supreme Court, too, had earlier stated that maintenance charges could not be deducted from prepaid meters.
Alok Shroff, a resident of Sunshine Helios in Sector 78, told City Spidey that they had lodged complaints with UPPCL that the developer charged them 5 per cent for line loss. “The builder also does not give us electricity bills,” he added. “So the UPPCL should conduct monthly audits of the builders to enforce transparency.”
Colonel Prakash Chandra, a resident of Aditya Urban Casa, also in Sector 78, said that when residents demanded that the developers increase their electrical load, they charged residents between Rs 7,000 and Rs 25,000 per KVA on whim. But according to UPPCL rules, the rate is only Rs 700.
Residents of high-rises also asked for individual connections, so payments could be made directly to UPPCL. “Shivkant Prasad agreed to our demands for individual connections and said that individual meters would be installed in societies soon,” said Sandeep Singh Chauhan, president of the Mahagun Moderne AOA in Sector 78.
Members of FONRWA also demanded a reduction in line loss. According to them, there was almost 19.65 per cent line loss in 2014-15. Though the average is expected to be around 15 per cent in the next couple of years, the tariff, too, should be reduced accordingly, they said.
NP Singh, president of FONRWA, said, “In Noida, a total load is 3,200 MW, whereas the supply is only 900 MW. This needs to be increased to meet the growing demands of the city.”
