Retired electricity engineers urge TGERC to reject third DISCOM proposal

The Telangana Retired Electricity Engineers Association has decided to appeal to the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission to reject the proposed TGRPDCL licence application. The association alleged legal and technical shortcomings and raised concerns over the proposed separate DISCOM for agriculture and government services

Hyderabad: The Telangana Retired Electricity Engineers Association (TREEA) has decided to appeal to the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (TGERC) to reject the licence application filed for the proposed Telangana Rythu Power Distribution Company Limited (TGRPDCL).

The association alleged that the application was legally and technically incomplete and had been filed in haste without fulfilling several provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003.

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TREEA held a round table conference in Hyderabad on Sunday. Intellectuals and representatives of various political parties participated in discussions on issues related to the proposed distribution licence.

According to the retired engineers, the documents submitted by TGRPDCL before the TGERC did not establish sufficient equity, creditworthiness or a clear business plan.

The association also criticised the government for issuing GOs without clearly allocating power purchase agreements (PPAs). It alleged that the existing DISCOMs were issuing public notices for licence modifications at the last minute without public consultation or approval from the Commission.

The round table conference observed that the proposal to create a separate DISCOM exclusively for agriculture and government services was aimed at the eventual privatisation of the existing DISCOMs.

“If the Commission grants the licence, it will be the first decision of its kind in the country. Hence, it has been resolved to appeal to the TGERC to reject the application,” TREEA stated.

The retired engineers also pointed out that employees in the existing power utilities had been waiting for regular promotions for years. Offering out-of-turn promotions to employees joining TGRPDCL, despite it being another government-owned DISCOM, would be illegal, they added.