Srinagar: In a bid to hide its failures, the Power Development Department (PDD) has directed the JPDCL and KPDCL to initiate strict actions, including deducting up to 50 percent of salary against the officials of divisions and feeders where Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses exceed 40 percent.
Besides, the department has issued the revised Load Curtailment Plan (LPC) with extra hours of power shedding to the areas having AT&C losses of more than 40 percent and between 15 percent and 40 percent respectively, a KNO report said.
Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses in Jammu and Kashmir represent the gap between electricity input into the distribution system and revenue realized, combining technical losses from transmission over long lines in mountainous terrain and commercial losses like power theft, poor billing, and low collection efficiency.
It goes without saying that the distribution companies (discoms) — Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) and Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) — are primarily responsible for managing and reducing these losses through infrastructure upgrades, smart metering, and improved billing/collection under schemes like the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
The organisations have failed and failed miserably and the result is that due to persistently high AT&C losses (around 40-50% in recent years, among India’s highest), the discoms incur significant financial deficits.
Though it is the failure of concerned agencies, the fresh move is aimed at targeting very low-paid employees and the consumers.
Stating the revision of Load Curtailment Plan (LCP), PDD said the current plan may be revised by imposing no power cut on feeders having AT&C losses below 15 percent.
“Three hours power cut instead of the present scheduled cut of two hours on feeders having AT&C losses between 15 percent and 40 percent and six hours power cut instead of the present power cut of four hours on feeders having AT&C losses above 40 percent for both Kashmir and Jammu divisions,” an official communique said.
PDD further said that JKPCL shall explore other options, including entering into additional banking arrangements with other states for the period January 2026 to March 2026 in order to curtail the power purchase bill.
Under the accountability of underperforming divisions and sub-divisions, the DISCOMs, the JPDCL KPDCL were asked to serve show-cause notices to all divisions and sub-divisions and feeders found to be underperforming, that is, where AT&C losses exceed 40 percent, under intimation to the Administrative Department, KNO reported.
“Further, action may be initiated for deduction of 50 percent of salary of the concerned officers or the officials of such divisions, sub-divisions or feeders,” it reads.
“Simultaneously, steps shall be taken to enhance billing efficiency upto 90 percent and to ensure 100 percent bill distribution among both metered and non-metered power consumers,” PDD said.
About the monitoring of prepaid smart meter billing, the JPDCL and KPDCL DISCOMs have been asked to maintain a proper account of energy (in MUs) billed through prepaid smart meters and ensure installation of prepaid smart meters for all high-power consumers on or before 31.01.2026.
“JPDCL and KPDCL shall constitute dedicated teams to verify feeder-wise AT&C losses vis-à-vis input energy and furnish detailed divisions, subdivisions or feeders where AT&C losses exceed 40 percent,” it reads.
In addition, the DISCOMs have been directed to constitute teams to verify load agreements in non-metered areas through phone, video recordings as evidence. “In cases where it is found that more electrical gadgets are in use than permitted under the approved load agreement, the practice of seizing equipment shall be avoided and instead, the load agreement shall be revised on the spot.”
