DERC Business Plan Regulations 2017 - As Good as Throwing Out Sec.61 of EA, 2003

To

The Secretary,

Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission,

C-Block, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi.

Sub: DERC Business Plan Regulations 2017

IF PASSED - MIGHT AS WELL THROW OUT SECTION 61 OF ELECTRICITY ACT 2003 INTO THE DUSTBIN IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Section 61 of the Electricity Act, 2003 stipulates that the Commission shall be guided by the factors which would encourage competition, efficiency, economical usage of resources, grid performance and optimum investment in specifying the terms and conditions for determination of tariff.

In terms of the Section 61 (g) of the Act, the Appropriate Commission shall be guided by the objective that the tariff progressively reflects the efficient and prudent cost of supply of electricity.

Sir,

DERC does not have full strength and without a Chairman for a few years now, I am APPALLED to note that a matter of such importance is being taken up Single Member.

There are many important issues that have been put on hold citing lack of full representation in DERC, here Business Plan Regulation that will impact future control of DERC over DISCOMS Accounts &  Audit is being compromised.

We are aware that the Commission has stated in an Affidavit in High Court that it lacks the Competence to Audit DISCOM Accounts, that does not mean that DERC introduces and passes a Regulation that binds DERC in accepting Accounts submitted by DISCOMS ……. This begs the Question …… Why have a Commission at all ?????

PLEASE PUT ON HOLD THIS REGULATION IN VIEW OF ABOVE STATED FACTS …….. If the proposal to bring about changes suggested in the Draft are anything to go by then MIGHT AS WELL THROW OUT SECTION 61 OF ELECTRICITY ACT 2003 INTO THE DUSTBIN IN ITS ENTIRETY.

These are preliminary submissions, I request you to give me an opportunity to elaborate in person before a final decision is taken.

Warm Regards,

s/d

Rajiv Kakria

Member GK-I, RWA

Objections DERC: Renegotiate DISCOM’s Contract to Check REGULATORY ASSETS

To                                                                                                                                             
The Secretary,
Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission,

C-Block, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi.Sub: Petitions for True Up of expenses for FY 2014-2015 & FY 2015-2016 and Aggregate Revenue Requirement and Tariff for FY 2017-2018 filed by the utilities of Delhi

RENEGOTIATE DISCOM’S CONTRACT TO CHECK REGULATORY ASSETS ……

If Long Term Power Purchase Agreements Can Be Renegotiated, WHY NOT the terms of contract guaranteeing 16% RETURN ON INVESTMENT to DISCOMS ????? that too for capital raised from Public Institutions at far lower rate of interest …… A SENIOR CITIZEN GETS 7% IN A FIXED DEPOSIT.

EXAMPLE – Noida Toll Bridge contract was the Brain Child of a similar set of people and borrowed its Content from the DISCOM Contract with Delhi Government. NBTL invested Rs. 200 Cr, has collected Rs. 450 Cr in Toll Tax and still claim a Loss of Rs. 850 Cr approximately.

Supreme Court has ordered a Ban on Charging Toll Tax on DND Flyway on a Petition filed by Citizen Groups ……. WE EXPECT DERC TO ACT ON BEHALF OF CITIZENS ……. As mandated in Section 61 of the Electricity Act, 2003 which stipulates that the Commission shall be guided by the factors which would encourage competition, efficiency, economical usage of resources, grid performance and optimum investment in specifying the terms and conditions for determination of tariff. 

Sir,

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AFTER A LEAP YEAR ……. THIS YEAR I AM SEEKING ANSWERS TO 8 QUESTIONS FROM DERC,the answers for which I have been seeking for many years. Please read all my past Objections in your records and make them part of this year’s Objections as well.

1. REGULATORY ASSETS – 8% Surcharge was introduced in 2012 to eliminate Regulatory Assets.

a) COAL and GAS -  prices have been coming down steadily for the past three years, but we see no softening of strain on Regulatory Assets.

b) POWER PURCHASE COSTS - have come down and the 8% Surcharge is charged on Retail Cost that has remained unchanged.

c) DEFAULT OF TRANSCO DUES - DISCOMS have not cleared their dues to TRANSCO’s and threaten Blackouts.

d) BAIL OUT PACKAGE - Regulatory assets have continued to mount despite 500 Cr Bailout.

2. CAG AUDIT – citizens are paying a heavy price for the CAG Audit being stuck in Supreme Court. DERC should intervene and ask for early resolution as DISCOMS are profiteering at the expense of hapless citizens.

3. PRUDENCE CHECK – seems to be the least of DERC’s concerns as we have been demanding for many years. The process of appointing an Institution has been advertised but no concrete action taken.

4. Private DISCOMS - were brought in to Delhi in 2002 to bring Private Investment (Money), Efficiency, Curb Power Theft and Reduce Tariffs ……. in place of a Bleeding, Inefficient and Theft Prone DVB.

Private DISCOMS have failed on all four counts .....

a) PRIVATE CAPITAL -  this is the biggest fraud on the citizens, instead of bringing Private Capital, they took the Sovereign Guarantee of the Delhi Government Contract and raised money from Public Sector Financial Institutions, on top of that, DISCOMS were Guaranteed 16% ROI, so WHY IS DERC ALLOWING THE INTEREST ON LOAN TO BE ADJUSTED IN TARIFF.

b) REDUCE TARIFFS – Tariffs have increased manifold, including enhancement of Fixed Charge, which used to be Minimum Charges and adjusted in the bill amount exceeded minimum charge.

c) EFFICIENCY- No doubt it has improved but not to the extent promised, we still have long power cuts and have to depend on inverters; DISCOMS were supposed to take all transmission cables underground.

d) THEFT CONTROL - although the Average Power Theft is down to 15% from 60%, a third of Delhi is still showing over 65% to 98% theft, no BENEFIT TO HONEST CUSTOMER as Promised.

5. Fast Running Electronic Meter: Please refer to my Petitions from 2009 onwards, I have constantly asked for an Audit/Field Survey by an Independent Institute of Repute involving the Petitioners, be conducted. Transformer wise Audit of Units supplied and billed for the past three years of Peak Load Periods in Winters and Summers. Excess billing if found should be refunded to the consumers and Punitive Penalty imposed on DISCOMS for breach of trust and willful fleecing of Consumers.

After three years of sustained efforts this issue was addressed by DERC by inserting an Ad. in news papers on 24th Dec. 2011, putting the onus of correcting the flaw on the consumer. The Supply Code clearly states that it is the Duty of the Service Provider to provide a separate Neutral up to the Metering Point. DERC tried to legalise this unearned Profit by excluding this provision for existing consumers of less than 10kw in the Draft Performance Standards.

PLEASE REPLY IN YES OR NO whether the Electronic Meters have been installed as per Regulation 41 of CEA's Regulations of 2010, which are the statutes in replacement of IE Rules 1956 under section 53 read with 177 0f the IE Act 2003.

Implementation of regulation 41 of CEA provides the complete solution to this point being raised by Delhi Consumers ever since the electronic metering has been introduced and not addressed by DERC for reasons best known to them.

6. BILL PAYMENT AT PSU BANKS: Power Bills should be collected at PSU Banks, that will bring transparency & Accountability of DISCOM dealings as money collected due to fast running meters gets concealed on account of recording Unutilised Current in Common Neutral due to RESIDUAL BACK FLOW. Delhi Government had written a letter to DERC in 2016 and was also reported in The Hindu.

7. END MONOPOLY - Both Mr. Modi and Mr. Kejriwal had Promised Delhites during Election Speeches that to curb the Profiteering DISCOMS they will END MONOPOLY and bring in Competition, as in case of Mobile Phones, therefore High Tariffs will be tamed.

8. Conduct Energy Audit: Ensure Metering of Self Consumption by DISCOMS and Government ……

Like Air and Water, Power too is essential for existence and scarce resource needs to be conserved. The Energy Audit should identify what percentage of Power is being consumed for Domestic use, Industrial / Commercial use, Public Utilities and Government office Buildings and how much Power is being consumed by bureaucrats in Lutyens Delhi and at what price.

The Energy Audit should also look into the Energy Guzzlers in Industry, Commercial Establishment, Street Lighting, Neon Signs, Hoardings etc. The industry and Commercial establishments recover the Energy Component from the consumer in the form of the Final Product Cost.

We see no reason that Energy Guzzlers like Government Departments, Hospitals (both Govt. and Private), Private Schools, Corporate Offices, Malls, Banquets, Farm Houses etc. be allowed to burden the Domestic Consumer by way of eating up the Cheap Power Quota Available from NTPC, SEBs etc.

Delink Power consumed by Domestic consumers and let Power Guzzlers buy power from open Market, right now there is no incentive for them to conserve energy as they recover their life style from the cost of their Product or Service.

These are preliminary submissions, I request you to give me an opportunity to elaborate in person before a final decision is taken.
Warm Regards,
s/d

Rajiv Kakria
Member GK-I, RWA

WaterLogging issue raised on Red Fm 63.5 alongwith RJ Raunac - Day 1

Though i am a regular on various TV channels, Radio and FM was a new experience for me and i was really very excited on being with Red FM 63.5, Bajaate Raho. 

On the day 1, water logging issue was raised on Red FM 63.5 along with RJ Raunac. A nice person. He is one of the top ranking RJ of our country. He is also airing programmes on Zee TV.

We raised the issue of water logging in Delhi & tried to speak to various PWD persons. Later we spoke to MLA Adv S K Bagga who said there are just two PWD drains in his area and blamed MCD for all the dirt, no de - slitting and sanitation issues. 

Now Free treatment at Private hospitals

A LAUDABLE AND PRAISEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENT INDEED! BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON PRACTICAL GROUND SITUATION!! IF IMPLEMENTED IN LETTER AND SPIRIT, THE DELHI GOVT. WILL PERHAPS BE THE FIRST ONE IN OUR COUNTRY AND THUS SURPASSES ALL STATES IN THIS SPHERE OF HEALTH CARE FOR POOR AND OTHERS ALIKE!!! ALL GOVT. SCHEMES ARE OF COURSE LAUDABLE BUT ALL SUCH SCHEMES WITH WIDE PUBLICITY IN MEDIA AND OTHER CIRCLES GO INTO OBLIVION WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME, WHICH HAVE TO BE GUARDED AND APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL ACTION TAKEN TO ENSURE THEIR CONTINUITY SO THAT PEOPLE IN LOWER STRATA OF LIFE WILL DERIVE THE BENEFIT IMMENSELY AND BLESS THE GOVT. BEYOND MEASURE!!!

tk balu/anand vihar

Now Free treatment at Private hospitals *

Delhi Government has tied up with 41 private hospitals of Delhi for the Surgeries of Patients to be referred by the Govt Hospitals of Delhi. Normally if one visits a Govt Hospital, he has to wait for months for his turn & he is forced to visit a Private hospital and pay the huge amounts for the treatment. Now onward, if a Govt hospital gives a date, (as understood, hope no conditions attached ), of more than one month period, the patient can visit some of the designated private hospitals for the treatment. 52 types of   surgeries including the Heart By pass as well as Breast cancer have been included in it.  Delhi Govt will reimburse these private hospitals at Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates for the complete treatment. Moreover, it will including pre-surgery consultation, surgery, medicines, food and hospital stay, and follow-ups for a month after discharge.

List of surgeries that can be done at private hospitals :

1. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Minimally invasive gall bladder removal

2. Thyroid surgery: Surgery performed to treat nodules and cancer of thyroid and hyperthyroidism

3. Haemorrhoidectomy: Surgery to remove haemorrhoids, swollen and inflamed veins in the rectum and anus

4. Stapled Haemorrhoidectomy: Procedure to remove abnormally enlarged hemorrhoidal tissue and repositioning the remaining hemorrhoidal tissue back to its normal position

5. Haemorrhoidectomy + Fissurectomy: Surgery to remove haemorrhoids along with repair of a tear in the lining of the anus

6. Fissurectomy: Surgery to repair a tear in the lining of the anus

7. Fistula High End: Surgery to repair abnormal connection between organs above the anorectal ring, muscular structure between anus and rectum

8. Fistula Low End: Surgery to repair abnormal connection between organs below the anorectal ring, muscular structure between anus and rectum

9. Appendectomy (Laparoscopic): Surgery to remove the appendix

10. Excision of Pilonidal Sinus With Flap Cover: Surgery to remove an abnormal skin growth at the tailbone that contains hair and skin and covering the area with a skin flap

11. Excision of Pilonidal Sinus with Primary Closure: Surgery to remove an abnormal skin growth at the tailbone that contains hair and skin and suturing the wound

12. Thyroidectomy (Total/Subtotal): Surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid gland

13. Breast Lumpectomy: Surgery to remove cancerous lumps from the breast

14. Cataract with IOL with Tension Rings: Cataract removal surgery

15. Mastoidectomy: Surgery to remove diseased cells of mastoid bone in inner ear

16. Tonsillectomy: Surgery to remove tonsils

17. Tympanoplasty: Surgery to repair eardrum

18. Septoplasty: Surgery to correct deviated septum, the cartilage diving the two nostrils

19. Nasal Polyps/Sinusitis (Fess) – Unilateral: Surgery to remove non-cancerous growth within the nose

20. Nasal Polyps/Sinusitis (Fess) – Bilateral: Surgery to remove non-cancerous growth inside the nose

21. Cortical Mastoidectomy with Myringoplasty: Surgery to remove mastoid cells without affecting the middle ear along with closure of perforation in eardrums

22. Peritonsillar Abscess Drainage: Surgery to drain pus near the tonsils

23. Septoplasty + Turbinoplasty/Conchaplasty: Surgery to correct deviated septum along with reduction of turbinate bone that protrudes into the breathing passage

24. Myringotomy with Grommet Insertion: Surgery to insert a small tube in the eardrum to drain a thick sticky fluid from behind the eardrum

25. CABG: Heart bypass

26. PCNL – Unilateral: Minimally-invasive procedure to remove stones from the kidney by a small puncture wound through the skin

27. PCNL – Bilateral: Minimally-invasive procedure to remove stones from the kidney by a small puncture wound through the skin

28. Cystoscopy (therapeutic): A scope inserted through the urethra and into the bladder to check its insides

29. Prostate (TURP): Surgery used to treat urinary problems due to an enlarged prostate

30. Kidney stone removal

This can be called a Historic decision of the Delhi Govt as on the one hand, patients will get the Free Treatment, on the other hand, private hospitals won't be able to LOOT the patients as they will be paid at the fixed charges as approved by the CGHS. Hope that no preconditions are attached to the entire process. 

List of 41 Private hospitals is as below :

• Delhi Heart and Lung Institute, Panchkuian Road
• 
  
• Jeewan Nursing Home and Hospital, Pusa Road
• 
  
• Jeewan Mala Hospital, New Rohtak Road
• 
  
• Dr BL Kapur Memorial Hospital, Pusa Road
• 
  
• Tirath Ram Shah Charitable Hospital, Rajpur Road
• 
  
• Metro Hospital and Cancer Institute, Preet Vihar
• 
  
• Jeevan Anmol Hospital, Mayur Vuhar Phase I
• 
  
• Dharamashila Hospital and Research Centre, Vasundhara Enclave
• 
  
• Goyal Hospital and Urology Centre, Krishna Nagar
• 
  
• Deepak Memorial Hospital, Vikas MArg Ext II
• 
  
• Khandelwal Hospital and Urology Centre, East Krishna Nagar
• 
  
• Jain Hospital, Jagriti Enclave
• 
  
• Primus Superspeciality Hospital, Chanakya Puri
• 
  
• Indian Spinal Injury Centre, Vasant Kunj
• 
  
• Saroj Hospital and Heart Institute, Rohini
• 
  
• Bhagwati Hospital, Rohini
• 
  
• Max Superspeciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh
• 
  
• Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Tughlakabad Instt Area
• 
  
• Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, Okhla
• 
  
• National Heart Institute, East of Kailash
• 
  
• Metro Hospital and Heart Institute, Lajpat Nagar IV
• 
  
• Bansal Hospital, New Friends Colony
• 
  
• Visitech Eye Care, South Extn Part II
• 
  
• Dr Pattnaik’s Laser eye Institue, Lajpat Nagar III
• 
  
• Shroff Eye Centre, Kailash Colony
• 
  
• Rockland Hospital, Qutub Instt Area
• 
  
• Venu Eye Institute and Research Institute, Sheikh Sarai, Institutional Area Ph II
• 
  
• Max Smart Superspeciality Hospital, Saket
• 
  
• Max Multispeciality Centre, Panchsheel Park
• 
  
• Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Punjabi Bagh
• 
  
• Mata Channan Devi Hospital, Janak Puri
• 
  
• Park Hospital, Chowkhandi
• 
  
• Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Pashchim Vihar
• 
  
• Action Cancer Hospital, Paschim Vihar
• 
  
• MGS Hospital, Punjabi Bagh
• 
  
• Dr Kapur’s The Healing Touch Eye Centre, Vikas Puri
• 
  
• RLKC Hospital Metro Heart Institute, Shadipur Depot
• 
  
• Bharti Eye Foundation, 1/3 East Patel Nagar
• 
  
• Panchasheel Hospital, Yamuna Vihar
• 
  
• PC Stone, East of Kailash

In our opinion, Delhi Govt must enhance its own resources in such a way that all kind of surgeries could be done in the Govt Hospitals itself so that nothing is to be paid to the Private hospitals, resulting into no burden on the general public. They can also hire the OT's & other facilities of the Private hospitals, for surgeries by the Doctors of the Govt hospitals, to save the costs.

Thanks

B S Vohra
Social Activist
www.RWABhagidari.com 

* 
Plz check the official list of Hospitals & Surgeries covered from the Delhi Govt Hospitals. We have compiled the Details from various sources.

Now Online RTI - But will it impact those, who have to answer ?

With thanks : Dainik Bhasker, Delhi Edition

RWAs - you can contact your MLAs for CCTV in your area !

RWAs : contact your MLA immediately and lodge your requirement at the earliest. The Tendering will start from 10th October. It will be a good step and for the benefit of everyone.

With thanks : Dainik Jagran : LINK : not available as got the clip on whatsapp.

Water Logging - RWAs demand Inflatable boats for Low Lying Areas

Our letter has been forwarded by OSD CM to the Ministry of Home, Delhi Government. Let's see what happens, though we don't expect anything from our leaders. 

I was asked by one of my friend, that, Is it Sarcasm or we were serious? My answer was, it was both Sarcasm as well seriousness. On the one hand we wanted to give a clear message to the authorities, on the other hand, it may be helpful for those, in the Low lying areas.

Believe it or not, Delhi has just 15 dangerous buildings : TOI

NEW DELHI: Delhi has only 15 dangerous buildings. Yes, if the figures of the annual survey of structurally precarious buildings for 2017, released by the three civic bodies on Monday, are to be believed, there are just 10 unstable buildings in north Delhi, four in east Delhi and a single one under the south corporation's area.

This announcement is incredible, coming ironically just a day after two structure collapses, a four-storey building in east Delhi's Laxmi Nagar and wall in south-west Delhi's Rajokri. The collapses immediately questioned the credibility of the system used by the capital's civic bodies in identifying and dealing with structurally unstable buildings. This annual exercise is conducted by the engineering departments of the corporations three months before the onset of monsoon. In this year's survey, over 4.2 lakh houses were inspected by the north body, 3.17 lakh by the east and over 8.2 lakh houses by the south corporation.

Of the 10 dangerous buildings reported by the north corporation, seven are in Sadar Paharganj zone, two in Karol Bagh and one in Old Delhi. East has reported two structures each in Shahdara North and South, though two of them are considered to be in reparable state. The south body found only one building beyond repair, in Vikaspuri. RWAs termed the findings as "bunkum". Chetan Sharma, chairman, Federation of GK-2 RWAs, tartly remarked, "These reports are created sitting in office." 

BS Vohra, president, East Delhi RWAs Joint Front, likewise insisted that the data couldn't be correct. "You cannot identify dangerous buildings by merely looking at them," he said. "We require technological up gradation and strict oversight."

Defending the findings of the survey, officials from the corporations said that the "junior engineers who carry out these exercises use 'visual survey' to identify such structures". As one explained, "In the field, if engineers see structures that are bent or show cracks, then they inspect the structure from the interior. The owner is then given a notice to have the building repaired. If he/she does not comply, we demolish the structure."

The question is whether that is adequate given so many lives are at risk. Requesting anonymity, some engineering department officials admitted that the current methodology of determining unstable buildings was obsolete.

with thankks : Times of India : LINK

RWAs divided on need for such committees : The Hindu

Residents unsure if meetings are held

From being political platforms for the ruling party to useful tools to raise local concerns, residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) are divided on the need for police station or thana-level committees.

With the Delhi government looking to revive the committees, which is chaired by the area MLA, residents say that the meetings of the thana-level committees have never been held regularly, if ever.

Police visits

“We haven’t had any thana or district-level committee meetings. However, once in a while police officers visit the area, particularly around festivals. When we had a spate of car thefts in the area recently, we told the police, but did not get the right reply,” said Chetan Sharma, the chairperson of the Federation of Greater Kailash-II RWAs and the secretary-general of the Confederation of NCR RWAs. He added that if the thana-level committee did exist, the “gap between what the public wants and what the police does” would be bridged. 

East Delhi RWAs Joint Front president B.S. Vohra said that there had been no meetings of any such committee that had been called by the MLAs in the past two years.

Genuine stakeholders

“Police officers hold meetings, but that is only once in six months or so. These thana committees can be beneficial only if the genuine stakeholders are called. There is a danger of the MLAs only including their own supporters, like in the mohalla sabhas,” said Mr. Vohra. 

In some areas, even when the committees were holding meetings, they weren’t regular or very useful, according to residents.

‘Political meeting’

Geeta Bhargava, the honorary general secretary of the Defence Colony RWA, said the last meeting of the thana-level committee, of which she was a member, that she attended was held about two years ago.

“We would be asked what our concerns were, but there was no result. It was more of a political meeting. We have a good rapport with the Station House Officer so we don’t really need the committee,” said Ms. Bhargava.

with thanks : The Hindu : LINK