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Andhra Pradesh yet to start measuring agriculture power consumption

The government is not planning to opt for it as it would invite the wrath of the farmers
Hyderabad: Power distribution companies in Andhra Pradesh are yet to start calculating the exact amount of power consumed by the agriculture sector as the process of metering is not being done even at the primary level. Despite repeated directions from the Electricity Regulatory Commissions, transformer (DTR) level metering in rural areas is not being done. Incidentally, there is no paucity of funds or technical expertise.
“We are in the process of metering the DTRs in urban areas. We have almost completed 11 KV feeders. But in the rural areas, the process is yet to start,” K. Vijayanand, the APTransco MD, admitted. According to sources, most of the losses that are shown in the Annual Revenue Requirement reports are said to be due to free supply of power to agricultural sector. “If metering is done, consumption will figures will be known and the discoms will then not be able to manipulate the figures and blame the farm sector,” a senior official said.
During the last hearing of the APERC, this aspect had cropped up and the commission had advocated for DTR level metering. The reply from the discoms was: “The process is underway.” With the subsidy mounting with every passing year, the state government is seriously mulling over reducing the bill as part of reforms, aided by the World Bank. Though metering of pump sets is considered one option, the government is not planning to opt for it as it would invite the wrath of the farmers.
“Individual meters serve no purpose, as it is impossible to calculate the power consumed by the farmers every month. If DTR level metering is done, consumption will be known by roughly extrapolating individual meters,” K. Raghu, a power sector expert, said.
As for World Bank funding, some people fear that the ghost of “conditions” may return to haunt the state. But the government has made it clear that it would continue with the existing policy and not place any meters. “Agricultural meters were proposed by the World Bank during 1999-2004, but we had not agreed to the proposal. Even now we don’t have any plans to install individual meters for pump-sets” Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, the finance minister, said.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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