Pune: MSEDCL CMD Lokesh Chandra Emphasizes Speedy Electricity Connection and Meter Replacements
Pune, 14th January 2025: Today, Chairman and Managing Director Lokesh Chandra of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) was in Pune to review various ongoing works of MSEDCL. During his visit, he instructed that new electricity connections should be provided to applicants within the time frame specified in the customer service standards. Additionally, he emphasized the need to replace defective electricity meters immediately to avoid financial losses to MSEDCL and electricity consumers and ensure accurate billing.
The meeting took place at Prakash Bhavan and was attended by MSEDCL Chief Engineers Rajendra Pawar (Pune), Dharmaraj Pethkar (Baramati), Swapnil Katkar (Kolhapur), and in charge General Manager (Finance) Madhuri Raut.
Lokesh Chandra stated that it is necessary to bill every unit of electricity used by consumers. However, faulty electricity meters cause financial losses to both MSEDCL and consumers, preventing accurate tracking of monthly electricity consumption. Therefore, along with prioritizing new electricity connections, he emphasized speeding up the replacement of defective meters. With new electricity meters available in abundance, he suggested immediate replacement of problematic meters.
Regarding bill collection, Chandra noted that about 85 to 90% of electricity consumers pay their bills regularly. However, the remaining 10 to 15% neglect monthly payments, leading to increased arrears. He stressed the need to focus on these arrears and emphasized the collection of both overdue and current electricity bills. Special attention should be given to preventing arrears from increasing, particularly in the high-voltage category. If consumer arrears become equal to the deposit amount held by MSEDCL, action should be taken to permanently disconnect the electricity supply, Chandra explained.
अचूक बिलिंगसाठी सदोष, नादुरुस्त मीटर तातडीने बदला: महावितरणचे सीएमडी लोकेश चंद्र यांचे निर्देश
He highlighted MSEDCL’s promising progress in Maharashtra’s power sector, citing a record demand of 25,808 MW of electricity on Saturday (11th January) during peak winter, which was fulfilled without purchasing additional electricity due to pre-planning. Compared to other states, MSEDCL has provided the most solar agricultural pumps to those who requested them. The Chief Minister Solar Agriculture Vehicle Scheme 2.0 will enable farmers to receive electricity during the day and reduce electricity rates for industrial and commercial sectors. Chandra directed that work should be completed on a war footing for the speedy implementation of this scheme and that coordination should be maintained with the Revenue Department for this purpose.
