Infamous 5 could have pulled PCL out
7 Jan 2009 Pankaj Shah , TNN

LUCKNOW: Facing the heat from its employees agitating for revised wages in accordance with the 6th Pay Commission, the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is in for yet another jolt. There are as many as five districts in the state where aggregated technical and commercial losses (ATC) increased in 2007-08 as compared to 2006-07, as per UPPCL’s latest revenue records.

What is even more shocking is the fact that the combined percentage of the increase in ATC losses in these five districts — Saharanpur, Agra, Moradabad, Meerut in Western UP and Jhansi in Bundelkhand — was 13.63 per cent. This if translated into revenue loss would be to the tune of Rs 954 crore which is enough to sustain the revised salaries for UPPCL employees, not for one but for over 12 years. As per the records, Jhansi pipped the other four districts when its ATC losses increased by 9.38%. The city recorded losses to the tune of 56.42%.

Translate the increase in loss in terms of revenue, the extent would be almost Rs 657 crore. In fact, Jhansi swapped its position with Azamgarh at the end of 2008. The latter was on top of the chart recording ATC losses to the tune of 54.32% in 2006-07.