‘APERC striving to ensure consumer satisfaction’

“The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) will scrutinise power purchases regularly to bring down the costs to the exchequer. Its focus is on improving the overall efficiency of the power sector. It is making every effort to achieve the sole objective of ensuring affordable and quality power round the clock and high-quality services to the consumers, its Chairman Justice (Retd) C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy has said.

Addressing a review meeting on Friday, Mr. Nagarjuna Reddy said the commission was striving to develop a consumer-centric approach in the power sector.

As a step towards that, the APERC issued a consumer-friendly tariff order benefiting the poor, the middle and the upper middle-class consumers, he said, and observed that the decision to levy energy charges based on consumption in a billing month against the conventional method of taking consumption during the previous financial year would benefit almost 99% of the total 1.45 crore consumers.

Thrust areas

Mr. Nagarjuna Reddy said the commission attached priority to transparency and accountability, improving quality and efficiency, promoting new technologies, reducing transmission and distribution losses and supplying cost-effective power.

The APERC would henceforth be taking stock of the implementation of its tariff order every 15 days to monitor the development and progress of the sector.

Drawing the attention of the participants to the spurt in power demand, Mr. Nagarjuna Reddy said availability of quality and affordable power would facilitate agricultural and industrial growth, and, thereby, spur economic development. Officials need to give importance to the redress of consumer grievances for betterment of services, he added.