Maharashtra: Energy minister demands action against officials for power interruptions

MUMBAI: Maharashtra energy minister Nitin Raut has demanded strict action against officers from the MSEDCL - the state power distribution company - for any electricity interruptions which inconvenience large section of consumers.
"Effective measures should be taken to provide uninterrupted electric supply to the consumers from all categories. There must be no negligence in this matter. The officer or employee who is responsible for the uninterrupted supply of a particular area must be held responsible and strict action must be taken against him," he said at a a review meeting through video conferencing to review the various works in the Bhandup, Kalyan, Jalgaon, Ratnagiri, Nashik, Pune, Sangli, Solapur and Satara district. He also hinted that even the senior officers will have to face the consequences.
Raut said the industries and businesses that were closed due to lockdown which was announced to curb the spread of the Corona Pandemic, are now gradually opening. "Along with this, the employees of many government and private organisations are working from home. As it is summer and the heat is increasing, it is very important to supply interrupted electricity to consumers," he stated.
Officials said that the Baramati zone has implemented the ‘Ek gaon ek Divas’ pattern to take care of the maintenance of the electricity distribution system, new connection release and energy bill correction. Raut appreciated this initiative and instructed that the same pattern must be implemented in rest of the state.
"The consumers must be given prior information through SMS about any load shedding for maintenance work or even if the supply is interrupted due any other reason," he said, adding that special efforts should be taken for bill payment collection.
Raut also demanded action against errant contractors. "If their work is not satisfactory as per the requirement or the duration of interruption is increasing because of their incompetency, immediate action must be taken against them," he added.