A major power development and reform programme was launched in Karnataka today, covering 99 towns in the state. This is the first part of the Rs 465.59 crore Restructured Accelerated Power Development & Reforms Programme (RAPDRP), of which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 388.34 crore and Rs 77.25 crore is to be borne by Electricity Supply Companies (Escoms) in Karnataka, Karnataka minister for power K S Eshwarappa said at a function here.
Officials said the RAPDRP’s objective is to bring down losses in ESCOMs by concentrating on urban areas having a population of more than 30,000 as per the 2001 census. Part A of the RAPDRP is focussed on determining aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses in urban areas and providing the IT backbone to each of the Escoms to computerise their major functions relating to customer relations and asset management, they said.
Principal secretary (energy) and Escoms chairman K Jairaj said Part A RAPDRP would be completed in three years, adding, the entire loan (Rs 388.34 crore from the Centre) along with interest would be converted into grants by the Union government once the required conditions are met.
The Karnataka government aims to bring down AT&C losses from 23-24 per cent to 15 per cent in two years, he added.
A covers projects for creating baseline data and IT applications for energy accounting and auditing, and customer services. Work under Part A includes IT applications for redress of consumer grievances; integrated meter reading, billing and collection; consumer indexing; asset mapping; GIS mapping of the distribution network; automatic meter reading on distribution transformers and feeders, etc.
Eshwarappa said the new state government signed MoUs on 8,100 Mw after it was formed last year. “Since November 15 last year, we have purchased power worth Rs 1,225 crore,” the minister said.
He thanked Jairam Ramesh, who yesterday resigned as Union minister of state for power to concentrate on the Congress party’s preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, for his support to the state on power projects, particularly MoUs with NTPC and the RAPDRP. Officials said Part B of RAPDRP, which would concentrate on strengthening the distribution network after determining the losses through Part A, would be initiated in six months.
