Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited Chairman M Devraj has said the accumulated losses of the public sector power utility are over Rs 1 lakh crore and there is dire need to recover from the financial crisis.
Devraj on Friday visited Kanpur Nagar and reviewed the performance of the Kanpur Electricity Company (KESCo), a subsidiary of the UPPCL.
“We are a power distribution company, a commercial organisation. We buy electricity from power generators as per requirement and sell it to the consumers and the cost has to be recovered from the power consumers. We can realise money only if electricity bills are raised and served on the consumers as per schedule and earn profit,” Devraj said. He added: “We are not earning profits and our losses are mounting.”
The UPPCL chairman said, “We are not like the Public Works Department and Irrigation department whom the government gives budgetary support for construction of roads, bridges and canals.”
Addressing a meeting of engineers of KESCo, he said all power distribution sub-stations were to be turned to profit centres.
Giving a detailed presentation about the present dismal financial condition of the UPPCL, he outlined the agenda for improving the performance of the power corporation. He said besides serving the bills on power consumers, there was a need to check line losses by launching a campaign to curb power thefts. He said line losses should be brought down to 5 per cent. He said power theft was not possible without the connivance of the engineers and field staff of the KESCo. He asked the engineers to check each and every house in Kanpur Nagar and ensure an end to the power theft menace.
He asked the managing director of KESCo to develop a mobile app ‘Bijli Mitra’ for curbing power theft.
During his visit, Devraj inspected the under-construction Panki power house. He asked the officials to maintain strict vigil on the construction of the power plant.
He also collected information about the under-construction SKADA project situated in KESCo Colony.