Electricity consumers in Coimbatore wait for new service connection for nearly nine months

Several applications for new electricity connections are said to be kept pending for want of distribution transformers in Coimbatore district.
Consumer body, the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, has written to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) to direct the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation to provide the service connections on time.
Secretary of the consumer body K. Kathirmathiyon claimed that applications were pending for more than nine months in Coimbatore district for new service connections. It is learnt that almost 140 distribution transformers were needed in Coimbatore alone to replace the old ones.
He said that as per the Tamil Nadu Electricity Distribution Standards of Performance Regulations, 2004 , service connections should be given in 90 days for works involving extension and improvement. If the connections were not provided within the stipulated time, the licensee should pay the consumer a maximum of ₹2,000 for the delay period.
However, if an application form was pending for 10 days or 400 days, the compensation amount was only ₹2,000 and that was the reason for the licensee to neglect the delays, he alleged.
According to Mr. Kathirmathiyon, there are nearly '1,600 distribution transformers kept idle even now in the stores of the Licensee for years and left to gather dust. These DTs could not be used since they were allotted to the Central Government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS),' he said.
While there was a stock of transformers on one hand, consumers were waiting for new connections on the other because of non-availability of transformers, he said.
'Despite repeated orders, the licensee failed to provide connections within the time for want of equipment / materials – which are totally unacceptable,' he said.

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Several applications for new electricity connections are said to be kept pending for want of distribution transformers in Coimbatore district. Consumer body, the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, has written to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) to direct the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation to provide the service connections on time. Secretary of the consumer body K. Kathirmathiyon claimed that applications were pending for more than nine months in Coimbatore district for new service connections. It is learnt that almost 140 distribution transformers were needed in Coimbatore alone to replace the old ones. He said that as per the Tamil Nadu Electricity Distribution Standards of Performance Regulations, 2004 , service connections should be given in 90 days for works involving extension and improvement. If the connections were not provided within the stipulated time, the licensee should pay the consumer a maximum of ₹2,000 for the delay period. However, if an application form was pending for 10 days or 400 days, the compensation amount was only ₹2,000 and that was the reason for the licensee to neglect the delays, he alleged. According to Mr. Kathirmathiyon, there are nearly '1,600 distribution transformers kept idle even now in the stores of the Licensee for years and left to gather dust. These DTs could not be used since they were allotted to the Central Government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS),' he said. While there was a stock of transformers on one hand, consumers were waiting for new connections on the other because of non-availability of transformers, he said. 'Despite repeated orders, the licensee failed to provide connections within the time for want of equipment / materials – which are totally unacceptable,' he said.

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