Rajasthan Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar’s anger over the continuous power tripping in Kota, hours-long faults and delay in resolving consumer complaints has come out openly on Saturday. The minister summoned the top officials of Kota Electricity District Limited (KEDL) to his residence and reprimanded them over the poor condition of the electricity system.

Asking direct questions to KEDL CEO Manish Arora and Technical Head Venkatesan Kodi in the meeting, Minister Nagar said that the electricity system of Kota city is continuously deteriorating, while the public is getting worried and filing complaints. He said in clear words that if the situation does not improve in the next two months, the government will have to take strict measures.

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No hearing from public, difficulty in contacting officials

The Energy Minister also took aim at the administrative structure of KEDL. He alleged that the company officials maintain distance from the public and the problems of the consumers are not heard. The minister said that people do not need an atmosphere of intimidation in offices but a system of providing solutions. He directed that the mobile numbers of all responsible officers should be made public and the structure of the company should be made accountable on the lines of Jaipur Discom.

Expressed displeasure over delay in repairing the fault

Minister Nagar said that there is a huge shortage of staff and resources in the Fault Repair Team (FRT), due to which it is taking a long time to restore supply after power failure. He gave instructions to provide modern equipment and adequate staff.

The city lagged behind the rural areas

In the meeting, the minister said that power management in rural areas appears to be better than in the cities. While new GSS are being built in villages and electricity is restored quickly after the storm, in Kota city even a minor fault leads to hours of blackout.

Question on underground line worth Rs 250 crore also

The Energy Minister also raised questions on the underground power line project. He said that crores of rupees were spent earlier, but the expected results were not achieved. Now the time has come that KEDL should leave the old methodology and adopt AI based and modern technologies.

Signs of corruption, daily report sought

Serious questions were also raised in the meeting regarding Vigilance Investigation Report (VCR) and alleged settlement cases. Calling it a case of possible irregularities, the minister ordered to send daily reports of tripping, faults, shutdowns and burnt transformers to the government. For the first time, the Energy Minister has shown such a strict attitude regarding the electricity system of Kota. Now all eyes are on whether KEDL is able to improve the situation in the next two months or not.

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