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The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) is doing the work of setting up the necessary infrastructure to provide immediate new electricity connection or increase the electricity load to all other categories of consumers, excluding agricultural pumps.
Therefore, the new electricity connection will be available to the electricity consumers immediately. For this purpose, MSEDCL has given strict instructions to the field offices that the option of New Service Connection (NSC) scheme for new electricity connection should be given to the customers first and the service should be provided within the fixed period as per the action standards.
As per information from MSEDCL, there are three schemes namely New Service Connection (NSC), Non DDF Consumer Contribution & Refund (CC&RF) and Dedicated Distribution Facility (DDF) to provide new electricity connections excluding agricultural pumps. In this, the New Service Connection (NSC) scheme is very important to provide new electricity connections to electricity consumers.
Under this scheme, after receiving the application for providing new electricity connection or reducing the electricity load, the necessary infrastructure and system works will be done by MSEDCL. There is no cost to the customer. Then only service connection fee and security deposit amount have to be paid.
However, in some places in the state, information about the option of adding new services has come to the fore. Taking serious note of it, MSEDCL has recently issued a circular in which it has strictly directed that the customers should be given first option of New Service Connection (NSC) scheme for new electricity connection. Also, there is no dearth of funds to carry out these infrastructure works.
The regional offices have been ordered to keep the necessary equipment including power poles, distribution switchgear, switch gears, power lines available in their respective areas and to provide new power connections to the customers immediately. The infrastructure works required to increase the power load have also been included in this scheme.
Along with this, in Non-DDF Consumer Contribution and Refund (CC&RF) Scheme, the applicant consumer undertakes to construct the necessary electricity infrastructure as per the budget and under the supervision of a licensed electrical contractor at his own cost. Reimbursement of this cost is adjusted in the monthly electricity bills of the concerned individual applicant or group of consumers.
In the third dedicated distribution facility (DDF) scheme of new power connection, mainly if the builders or the applicant consumers work on constructing separate power lines, distribution boxes, substations, capacity augmentation etc. infrastructure through licensed electrical contractors at their own expense, the power system facility remains dedicated to the respective consumers. But this power system is transferred to MSEDCL and the responsibility of maintenance and repair remains with MSEDCL.
At present, the implementation of new electricity connections by MSEDCL through these three schemes is going on. However, in some places in the state, it has been indicated that only the option of Dedicated Distribution Facility (DDF) scheme is being given by the MSEDCL authorities. As per the policy of MSEDCL, henceforth, applications for new electricity connections as well as load increase/decrease applications will be accepted under New Service Connection (NSC) or Non-DDF Consumer Contribution and Refund (CC&RF) scheme.
MSEDCL has directed the regional offices to take such written applications from the customers who opt for the Dedicated Distribution Facility (DDF) scheme instead of these two schemes.
Shreyas Vange
