Question : ELECTRICITY ACT, 2003

(a) whether a number of monitoring agencies had been set up to take care of public interests under Electricity Act, 2003;

(b) if so, the names of the above agencies along with the details of task assigned to them;

(c) the number of cases filed before the above agencies during the last three years and the number of cases on which the decisions have been given;

(d) whether the Government has initiated any investigation regarding any kind of neglect of public interests by the above agencies; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER ( SHRI K.C. VENUGOPAL )

(a) to (c): Under the Electricity Act, 2003, the Appropriate Commission, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the Load DespatchCentres and District Committees have the responsibilities, inter alia, of monitoring to take care of public interest. The relevant provisions of the Act, viz., sections 79 and 86 dealing with the functions of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), section 73 dealing with the functions of CEA, sections 28 and 32 dealing with the functions of Load DespatchCentres and section 166 (5) dealing with the District Committees are at Annex-I.

(d) &(e): The Appropriate Commission has powers under section 142 of the Act to impose penalty against any person for contravention of the provisions of the Act, policies, rules and regulations framed under the Act. The Commission has also the power under Section 143 of the Act to impose penalty on any person for non-compliance of the directions of Regional Load dispatch Centre (RLDC). Based on the available information a statement indicating actions taken by CERC for contravention of the directions and regulations of CERC is given at Annex-II and for non-compliance of the directions of RLDC at Annex- III.