PDD directs DISCOMs to verify consumer load for better billing, collection efficiency
Srinagar : The government Friday said that there has been no change, hike or revision in electricity tariff for the past 3-years except Power Intensive Units (PIUs).
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the minister in-charge for Power Development Department (PDD) informed the Legislative Assembly that, “There has been no change, hike or revision in electricity tariff for the past 3-years except for the PIUs.”
The government however clarified that the PDD in 2025 has issued instructions to DISCOMs to constitute teams to verify load agreements in non-metered areas as a corrective measure for achieving better billing and collection efficiency as per the RDSS compliance conditions.
“DISCOMS are conducting routine load surveys or inspections in non-metered areas. The load, wherever required, is revised after physical verification of the load or usage by consumers on the spot using mobile phone videos instead of seizing electrical gadgets. Inspection has been a regular feature of PDD,” the government said.
It also said that evidence based load agreements are revised by the concerned sub-divisions only when the agreed load and the actual usage is found at variance. “The load agreement is revised as per actual, where there is variance in load agreement and usage. The agreements of such consumers are revised in respect of whom the load is found high or excess.”
In case of billing, the government said that the billing is made as per load consumption which is the incidental outcome of enforcement of load norms and not a separate policy decision.
“The rationalization of load and billing thereof, as per actual usage by a consumer, is within the mandate of DISCOMs. There is no tariff escalation at present,” the government said.
The concerned minister further said that the government has ensured adequate safeguards to prevent genuine consumers from being pushed into higher tariff slabs. “Load revision is carried out strictly on the basis of physical verification of actual connected load, enhancement is affected only where the actual load exceeds the sanctioned or agreed load and inspection team has to use mobile videography of the process.”—(KNO)
