By Tameemuddin Humble,
Bhagalpur: About one lakh and sixty thousand electricity consumers of Bhagalpur urban and adjoining areas under 7 blocks started availing the services of Bhgalpur Electricity Distribution Company Private limited (BEDCPL) from 1st January, 2014.
The Bihar Discom—South Bihar Power Distribution Company limited (SBPDCL) handed over the responsibilities to the franchisee—BEDCPL for to supply power, maintain the distribution network, bill collection, new service connections, customer care, and reducing the technical and commercial (AT&C) losses including the pilferage.
In pursuance of the agreement made on 19th July, 2013 between the SBPDCL and BEDCPL, the SPV of SPML Infra, the Bihar Energy Minister, Mr Bijendra Prasad Yadav, handed over the franchise papers to BEDCPL Director, Mr Amanullah, to manage the power supply in Bhagalpur, the premier silk production centre in India and the 3rd largest urban centre in the state. The franchisee has to deliver all the responsibilities of the licensee—SBPDCL for a period of 15 years in the DF area.
The BEDCPL aims at providing quality power distribution services in the city and has set up 24×7 consumer helpline number, 06412600751, to lodge their complaints round the clock, said a BEDCPL official. The call centre can be reached at any time to register complaints, request for new connection, billing, payments, faulty meter replacement and other facilities.
Now consumers need not to stand in a long queue at the bill collection counters to pay their monthly electricity bill. The fault finding and repairing mobile vans are pressed into consumer service by 24×7 ensuring the smooth supply and immediate repairing. The state-of-the-art consumer service centre will come up at Tilkamanjhi office and several other centers will be opened at prominent locations in the DF area.
Often the common man fails to understand that the franchisee company does not supply power from its generation. It has to supply power what it gets from the franchiser or the licensee. In extraordinary circumstances, it may purchase power on its own to fulfill the immediate demand but normally it has only to manage the transmission and distribution of electricity. For the last two days since BEDCPL took over in Bhagalpur, the People’s expectations gone high and are demanding 24 hours power supply. Its call centre is receiving hundreds of call daily which the general consumer did not think of the service before.
About 300 employees of BEDCPL are working day and night to serve about 1.5 lakh metered consumers belonging to the 5 Sub-Divisions—Mujahidpur, Tilkamanjhi, Nathnagar, Aliganj and Kahalgaon of the District falling under DF area getting power from 2 Grid Sub-stations, Kahalgaon and Sabour. The service is being provided by the 15 power sub-stations that require at least 60 to 70 MW daily to serve 24 hours but the average daily supply is 30 to 40 MW. Now the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses are 20% and 50% respectively. The franchisee has a target to bring it down to total AT&C loss at 15% in coming years.
Now the power situation in Bihar has improved due to the present Government policies as well as through the reforms in power sector in India by the Electricity Act 2003 and the enactment of Distribution Franchisee Model in this sector since 2006 when only 550 MW was available for the consumers in Bihar. Now against the requirement of 3500 MW, only 2000 MW is supplied daily in Bihar. The Government aims to provide 5300 MW through its different power generation projects by August 2015 making Bihar the self-sufficient in power requirement.