Major action has been taken against two chief engineers for failing to meet their electricity bill collection targets and for an increase in power line losses. The Power Corporation Chairman, Dr Ashish Kumar Goel, has removed Ashok Kumar, the chief engineer of Ghaziabad (I), and AN Gupta, the chief engineer of Kanpur (II), from their posts and transferred them to the headquarters. This decision was made by Chairman Goel on Tuesday during a video conference review meeting where he found these officials to be negligent.
During the meeting, the Chairman also issued several important instructions. He announced that an "Electricity Maintenance Month" will be held across the state from September 15th to October 15th. Under this initiative, all necessary electricity-related maintenance work will be completed. He placed special emphasis on ensuring that transformers are properly secured and fenced.
On the issue of smart meters, the chief engineers from several districts, including Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Prayagraj, and Kanpur, informed the Chairman that no smart meters were found to be running fast in their areas. They reported that even after inspections with "check meters," the speed of the meters was found to be normal. In response, the Chairman ordered that the inspection of smart meters must continue regularly.
Furthermore, the Chairman expressed his displeasure with the poor handling of complaints received on the toll-free number 1912. He said it has been found that many complaints are closed without actually solving the consumer's problem. He instructed that action be taken against those responsible and made it clear that a complaint should only be closed after the consumer is satisfied.
Stressing the importance of administrative tasks, he said that the employees' Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) should be completed on time so their promotions are not affected. He also directed that all payments related to the 2023-24 business plan must be made by September, and stated that officials will be held accountable for any delays. The Managing Director of the Power Corporation, Pankaj Kumar, was also present in this important review meeting.