Process for establishment of third Discom begins

HYDERABAD

The State Government has initiated the process for establishment of the third Discom – Telangana Rythu Power Distribution Company Ltd (TGRPDCL) – by issuing orders on Wednesday. It has already named the Chairman and Managing Director for the new Discom by shifting Musharraf Ali Faruqui from the Southern Discom (TGSPDCL) to the new one.

According to the government order, the new Discom to be know as Rythu Discom too would engage in the business of supply and distribution of electricity, purchasing, selling, importing, exporting, wheeling and trading of electrical energy, operation of distribution system – including finalisation of tariff, billing and collection thereof.

Further, it would enter into any agreements for the carrying on of such business for categories such as agriculture, lift irrigation schemes (LIS), composite protected water supply schemes/Mission Bhagiratha, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) and municipal water connections with separate distribution transformers (LT VI-B).

Apart from providing power supply to the categories listed, the new Discom would also engage in power purchase as per the power purchase agreement (PPA) share allocated, onboarding of new agricultural connections, operation and maintenance of assets (DTRs and LT lines), accounting of energy consumed through DTR metering and consumer metering for lift irrigation, CPWS and HMWSSB, regulatory filing and compliance and ensuring reliable and quality supply of power to its consumers.

The government has also appointed Directors to the new Discom – V. Tirupathi Reddy (Finance), P. Krishna Reddy (Revenue & Legal), V. Mohan Rao (Projects) and N. Narasimhulu (Operation, Personnel, Energy Audit and others). The operational and administrative manpower required for TGRPDCL would be on deputation, recruitment and outsourcing.

The new Discom would become operational from April 1 and it would have its office for now in the Block-B of the TGSPDCL corporate office at the Mint Compound. The government aims to ensure focused management of electricity supply to the agricultural sector, improve service efficiency and provide better and more reliable services to farmers across the State.