In order to minimize the long-standing grievances of the consumers against the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB), the state’s power board has decided to handover its maintenance and billing segments of the state capital (Ranchi) and the steel city (Jamshedpur) to Calcutta-based CESC Limited and Tata Power from November this year.
With the introduction of the proposed system, the two agencies - CESC Ltd and Tata Power will be assigned to maintain the power distribution lines, transformers and repairing works in Ranchi and Jamshedpur.
At present all the above activities like maintenance of transformers and distribution lines are being maintained by the local contractors.
Sources said that it did not resolve the problems of the power consumer resulting in numerous complaints flooded in the offices of the power board against the faults in power transmission lines as well as transformers breakdown
JSEB chairman, S N Verma said most of the complaints of the consumers are genuine and in spite of limited staff at its command, the board has been doing its best. He said power board has shortage of technical staff that reached to 65 per cent. In view of this the board has decided to appoint two franchisees – CESC Limited and Tata Power to resolve the long-standing grievances of the power board’s consumers. The agencies will look into the complaints and take prompt steps for its redressal. The agencies will also be responsible for reducing aggregate technical and commercial losses, he added.In a related development, JSEB Power Executive Service Association that has a joint co-ordination committee with 10 unions in a statement said JSEB management by appointing two agencies would start retrenchment process of its employees. They warned the power board that if the services of the two agencies (CESC Ltd and Tata Power) were taken, the entire state would witness a complete blackout for indefinite period.
Refuting the apprehension of the trade unions on retrenchment issue, chairman said that the board has been suffering for want of technical employees and it needed more technical staff to man its network and therefore this apprehension is totally wrong.