4 Dec 2012Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)
Vishal Rambani
Line l osses have been minimised successfully i n Punjab, Karnataka and Himachal t hrough departmental schemes of l oss reduction PADAM JITSINGH chairman, All India Power Engineers Federation SAY FINANCIAL RESTRUCTURING PLAN FOR DEBT- RIDDEN UTILITIES MIGHT PROMOTE PRIVATE PARTICIPATION IN POWER DISTRIBUTION

PATIALA: Even as the debt- ridden power corporations of Punjab and Haryana are mulling over the Centre’s financial bailout package, the Northern India Power Engineers Federation ( NIPEF) has opposed the riders attached.
The NIPEF, which held its federal council meeting here on Sunday evening, said the package for debt restructuring of power utilities was likely to promote private companies in power distribution.
During the meeting, engineers discussed the pitfalls of the Centre’s financial restructuring plan for power utilities. The bailout package contains riders such as the participation of the private sector in power distribution and the enactment of the model draft legislation by the states, which would include franchising or privatisation of distribution.
As per the NIPEF, franchising is not the only way to reduce transmission and distribution losses, adding that it can be done departmentally with administrative support.
Padamjit Singh, chairman, All India Power Engineers Federation ( AIPEF), said line losses had been reduced successfully in Punjab, eastern Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh through departmental schemes of loss reduction.
Meanwhile, the federal executive of the NIPEF decided to make a presentation before the Haryana power utilities management on how to reduce transmission losses, as has been done in Patiala and subsequently in other parts of Punjab. The NIPEF criticised the proposed feeder- wise franchising to reduce line losses in Haryana. According to the NIPEF, transmission losses can be brought down in Haryana if the power utility replicates the Patiala model.
Bhupinder Singh, vice-president, PSEB Engineers Association, said AT& C ( aggregate technical and commercial losses) in Patiala had been brought down from 23- 24% to 17% in two years.
These losses are presently around 14%, while the in- house expenditure is minimum compared to outsourcing.
Shailendra Dubey, secretary general, AIPEF, said the franchisee model in power distribution had failed in Nagpur, Aurangabad, Jalgaon and Agra. The franchisees are getting power at cheaper rates and supplying to consumers at higher rates. They are not returning arrears of revenue recovered and delaying payments for very long. The financial security of utilities has been hit hard in the process, he said.
Meanwhile, the NIPEF has elected its new office- bearers. RS Dahiya from Haryana and Bhupinder Singh from Punjab were elected chairman and secretary- general, respectively. RPS Sidhu ( Himachal Pradesh) BL Jat ( Rajasthan), Satya Pal ( Delhi) and Vaneet Gupta ( Jammu and Kashmir) were made vice- chairmen. The other office- bearers are RV Singh ( secretary, headquarters), VK Gupta ( secretary, finance), OP Pandey ( secretary, organisation) and RS Sarao ( secretary, publication).

The newly- elected executive demanded “professionalisation” of power utility managements and the involvement of engineers in decision- making.