The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, April 17
In an effort to bring quick transformation to Haryana’s energy sector and take it to new heights, Energy Minister Anil Vij has given new mantras to the state’s discoms and issued various directives to concerned officers/officials.
These directives aim to ensure uninterrupted and full-voltage electricity is available to citizens 24/7. Sh. Vij said that 39,477 wrong bills were generated by UHBVN and 18,240 by DHBVN.
These will be corrected within the next month. Additionally, an online portal will be developed to track the status of pending electricity theft cases and facilitate their payments, including options like SMS-based payment.An awareness campaign will also be launched soon in rural areas to encourage timely payment of electricity bills, he asserted.
Recovery Target of Defaulting Amounts for UHBVN and DHBVN Set for June 2025 – Vij
Sh. Vij shared that the total defaulting amount is Rs.538.13 crores for UHBVN and Rs.1,500 crores for DHBVN. Targets have been set for their recovery under which Rs.100 crore in April, Rs. 200 crore in May, Rs.238 crore in June 2025 by the UHBVN and Rs. 300 crore in April, Rs. 600 crore in May, Rs. 600 crore in June 2025 by the DHBVN.
Anil Vij Chaired the Review Meeting with Energy Department officers/Officials in Chandigarh
During the review meeting, Vij gave directives related to reducing power company losses, preventing electricity theft, replacing faulty transformers, ensuring consumer facilities, recovering pending dues, tracking defaulter connections, linking consumer Aadhaar numbers with electricity connections, correcting wrong bills, organizing Bijli Adalats, improving infrastructure, monitoring call centers and spreading awareness through various mediums.
Instructions for Recovering Government Connection Defaulting amounts and Immediate Rectification of Duplicate/Inflated Bills – Vij
Presiding over the meeting, Vij instructed officers/officials to coordinate with relevant government departments and submit files at the HQ level for the swift recovery of defaulting amount from government connections.
He also directed that in the case of old PDCO (permanent disconnection order) legacy defaulters, notices should be issued in the first phase to those who owe over Rs. 80,000 in UHBVN and over Rs.1 lakh in DHBVN under the Land Recovery Act.
In old PDCO cases (Legacy defaulters), it has been reported by the field officers that actual pending amount is far less than the amount reflected in the statement due to duplicate bills in R-APDRP system. It has been directed that duplicate bills/ inflated bills be identified and corrected on priority.
Aadhaar Linking of Domestic Connections and Tracing of Defaulters Living at Same Premises – Vij
The Energy Minister directed that defaulter consumers who have taken new connections in other sub-divisions while staying at the same premises be traced.
He also emphasized that there should be no defaulters in the industrial, NDS, and DS (urban) categories and that Aadhaar linking for all domestic consumers must be ensured. Regular field checks should be carried out for PDCO consumers to prevent unauthorized use or theft of electricity.
“Bijli Adalat” Every Tuesday from 11 AM to 1 PM at Circle Level – Vij
To resolve bill-related grievances, Vij directed that Bijli Adalats be held at the circle level every Tuesday. Each Superintending Engineer must ensure that all billing complaints are addressed and resolved.
Charge Sheets in huge-Revenue Theft Cases to be Filed in Court – Vij
Vij instructed that in large-scale theft cases involving huge revenue, charge sheets be filed in court. Training should be provided to field staff on proper theft-reporting procedures including preparing LL-1, collecting evidence, registering FIRs, etc. A training video should be created and shared to the field staff.
Body Cameras for checking parties to detecting Electricity Theft – Vij
He also directed that checking parties’ staff be equipped with body cameras. Monthly theft reports should be classified as consumer and non-consumer categories within a month.
For theft cases without video evidence, courts should be approached based on available documents. For early hearings, application should be filed in courts.A panel of competent advocates will also be prepared for better monitoring of recovery-related cases.
Transformer Replacement in 1 Hour in Urban Areas, 2 Hours in Rural Areas – Vij
Vij emphasized that transformers in urban areas should be replaced within 1 hour and within 2 hours in rural areas. Each sub-division must have transformers of varying capacities available.
Transportation vehicles must also be made available in field offices for this purpose. Faulty feeders and conductors should be identified and replaced where breakages are frequent.
Call centers should be monitored randomly to ensure swift resolution of outage complaints. Additionally, office premises should offer basic facilities to consumers such as drinking water, seating and shelters, he added.
