TS ahead in easy power connection
To get an electricity connection, consumers don’t need to present land ownership rights.
The Union power ministry has directed all states to remove the land ownership clause to give electricity connection. Union power Minister Piyush Goyal said, “all states are working towards removing land ownership as a requirement for providing connections to give electricity access”.
Hitherto, Transco would not give an electricity connection unless the consumer presented a land ownership certificate. This applied to domestic, industrial and commercial sectors. Due to this, some families, particularly those living in slums, were not able to get power connections.
As a part of the ‘Power For All’ programme, the Union power ministry has decided to remove that condition.
In the changed scenario, the power utilities across the country are struggling to sell electricity after the advent of the open access system where consumers can purchase power from any seller and solar power units.
For example, the purchase of power in the open access system was only 5 per cent in 2015-16 in the state. Last year it increased to nine per cent, and stands at 22 per cent now. Under these circumstance, power utilities are trying to sell as much electricity from state generating units as possible. TS Transco is ahead in implementing the system of giving power connections to those without land ownership system in the state. But the purpose of TS Transco is different in this issue.
Some people are using electricity bills to claim ownership right and such cases power utilities are facing problem from the courts and others. To avoid this power utilities in Telangana have stopped asking to provide land ownership right to give power connection.
While giving power connection, the power utilities take bond from the applicant stating whether he has ownership right or not. According to this bond, the supply of power can be stopped at any time by power utilities and this action will not be liable to be questioned as breach of agreement in a court of law.
For this Discoms have introduced “indemnity bond” to give power connection without the need of ownership right.
Conditions on the bond includes the following:
The executants agrees that in the event of the real owner of the premises or his legal heirs of dependents or any one claiming through or under his raising any objections in regard to giving the electricity service connection to the premises applied and in the event of the company being made liable to pay any costs of compensation in respect there of, executant hereby indemnities and agrees to pay the company the said costs or compensation within one week on demand by the company.
In the event of initiation and issue of proceedings under any law for eviction of consumers from the premises to which supply was given, power supply shall be ordered to be disconnected by the superintending engineers or operation as authorised as per clause of terms and conditions of supply.
Installations and equipments shall be removed and such action shall not be liable to be questioned as breach of agreement in a court of law. On the bond the applicant along with two witnesses have to sign for power connection.