Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) organised a camp for public hearing on the proposed electricity rates at the zila panchayat office in the district headquarters Pauri on Tuesday. The camp was presided over by the UERC chairman Subash Kumar and attended by the technical member K P Singh and finance member C S Sharma.
The people attended the camp in large numbers and put their suggestions before the commission, stressing that there should be no hike in the electricity rates. Kumar said that the hearing of the public is being organised in the plains and in the hills of the both Garhwal and Kumaon regions and the suggestions gathered in these camps would be send to the Central Government.
He further said that the commission has emphasised on scaling up power production and enhancing the central royalty. The power production will be increased by lakhwara, Viyassi and Kissau power projects in Uttarakhand, he added. He said that the commission would ask the Central Government not to go for any hike in the power rates.
During the public hearing in the organised camp, managing director UPCl Pitkul SS Yadav elaborated the process beginning with the production of power down to its distribution. He said that 1352 km electric line has been furnished with cable line and efforts are being made to convert remaining 1521 km stretch of the electric line into cable.
To check power theft and to save power, Yadav appealed to the people to cooperate. The UPCl will provide toll free number shortly. The villagers could deposit their electricity bills through the CSC system in their villages themselves.