STATE TIMES NEWS
RAJOURI: Continuing the drive against power thefts and for rationalisation of power supply, metering and recovery of power dues the district administration, Rajouri has ordered shifting of 121 meter readers, technicians and meter inspectors in the district.
District Development Commissioner, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and team of officers comprising of CPO A H Choudhary, Superintending Engineer Manhar Gupta and ExEn Umesh Parihar carried out an exercise for shifting of the meter readers in view of low recovery of power dues and large number of illegal connections noticed during the drive conducted. The reforms are being carried out as a part of initiative launched by the Deputy Chief Minister for providing hassle-free service to genuine consumers across the State.
The transferees include 42 officials having a stay of 10 to 24 years at same place of posting and 67 officials having three to 10 years stay at same posting while others have completed one to three years. District Development Commissioner has conveyed that all postings of field officials shall now be made on the basis of merit, performance and achievement. The entire cadre of officials in the district has been shifted to provide a new energy to department and to monitor the performance and achievements henceforth.
The transfers were necessitated after the review of power dues and illegal connections reflected a uniform pattern of prolonged stays coinciding with poor performance of department and simultaneously large number of illegal connections especially commercial nature connections operating in markets without approved load which lead to inconvenience to consumers. In first phase of transfers the officials have been shifted within sub-divisions and will be further shifted if necessitated after quarterly progress review in November 2017.
Meanwhile, Rs 20.76 lakh fine has been imposed on illegal connections found during 1193 inspections conducted across the district in which 719 connections having a load of 498.08 KW were also regularised. An exercise is also being conducted for replacement of more than 50 transformers with higher capacity transformers in view of high load notices in these areas. More than four FIRs have also been lodged in view of delayed recoveries a large number of cases are being lodged with police stations.
