Aqib Khan
Jammu, Feb 6 : The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday clarified that a recent drive to verify electricity load in unmetered areas is a routine exercise aimed at ensuring accurate billing and is in no way connected to any hike in power tariffs.
The clarification came from the Power Development Department (PDD) in a written reply to a question raised by Congress legislator Ghulam Ahmad Mir during the ongoing budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Officials stated in a written reply as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) that instructions were issued to power distribution companies (DISCOMs) in December 2025 to form special teams for verifying existing load agreements in areas that are not fully metered. This initiative, they said, is part of the compliance process under the central government’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to enhance billing efficiency and reduce systemic losses.
Importantly, the department highlighted a shift in the methodology of inspections. Teams are now using mobile phone videography to record on-site evidence of actual electricity usage, moving away from the earlier practice of seizing electrical appliances during checks. A load agreement is revised upward only when a clear discrepancy is found between the officially sanctioned load and the actual connected load based on physical verification.
The administration firmly stated that there has been no increase in electricity tariffs for domestic consumers over the last three years, with recent revisions being applicable only to Power Intensive Units (PIUs). It was emphasized that any rise in a consumer’s bill following the exercise would be solely due to the load agreement being adjusted to reflect actual usage, and not due to any change in tariff slabs or overarching policy.
To prevent arbitrary actions, the government has instituted several safeguards. These include basing load revision strictly on physical verification backed by video evidence, establishing a grievance redressal mechanism through the JK SAMADHAN portal, and allowing consumers to approach DISCOM authorities at various levels, starting from the Sub-Division up to the Managing Director.
The reply also noted that this rationalisation of load and billing falls within the operational purview of the DISCOMs. Since it does not amount to a tariff revision, the matter has not been placed before the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for approval.
The exercise underscores the sustained efforts in the Union Territory to modernise the power distribution network, improve revenue realisation, and curb losses in the sector the reply further reads. (KNS)
