MSEDCL to delegate powers to Regional Offices: Dr Nitin Raut
   Date :11-Jul-2020

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Staff Reporter :
 
Intending to make full use of Regional offices set-up across the State, Dr Nitin Raut, Energy Minister, directed Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) to delegate powers regarding execution of the projects. During a review meeting held in Mumbai, Dr Raut was surprised that the Regional Offices have become while elephant as Head Office failed to delegate powers. The meeting was about review of ongoing development works of MSEDCL to strengthen the last mile connectivity and improvement in distribution system.
 
A power point presentation was held wherein review of Aurangabad Region was held. Dinesh Waghmare, Principal Energy Secretary In-charge, Sunil Chavan, and Managing Director, Aurangabad Region, and senior MSEDCL officers were present at the meeting. The Regional Offices would be delegated all powers related to quantity freezing and time limit extensions under all projects including IPDS, DDUGJY, RF meter replacement and AG Solar. The Joint Managing Directors and Regional Directors would now monitor the projects for their timely completion. In the year 2016 four regional offices at Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune and Kalyan were established for the purpose of execution of the projects on time and also to provide quality services to the consumers.
 
The regional offices at Kalyan and Aurangabad were to be headed by the senior IAS officers as Joint Managing Directors while regional offices at Pune and Nagpur to be headed by non IAS officers as Regional Directors. But the well intended move turned out to be futile exercise as the MSEDCL did not delegate any power to the Joint Managing Directors and Regional Directors. Now, it is expected that by delegation of power to the regional offices, the projects execution would be accelerated and completed in time. It would improve the quality of the services to the consumers.
 
The Joint Managing Directors and Regional Directors are also delegated powers to refund electricity duty to industrial consumers. Dr Raut also instructed speedy allocation of transformers under HVDS Schemes for Agriculture pump connections. To reduce the time for replacement of failed transformers, he stressed on inviting comprehensive tenders for replacement of failed transformers including providing oil. At the same time, a new policy would be framed to provide new service connections to the agriculture pumps. Another major decision was to adopt QCBS tender system for outsourced employees to ensure effective utilisation of outsourced manpower with Geo mapping, KRA mapping and Geo fencing which would help to curtail expenditure on maintenance work.