OREANDA-NEWS. January 24, 2013. As part of an initiative to enhance the consumer facilities and services for consumers, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) today announced the launch of a new meter testing laboratory in its distribution network which will exclusively cater to meters booked by the enforcement team in meter tampering / power theft cases. The new facility, located in Rohini, Delhi, aims to provide a more transparent and credible platform to those consumers whose meters have been booked by the enforcement team for tampering or power theft cases. The lab was inaugurated by Haroon Yusuf, minister for power, Government of Delhi.

The meter testing lab has been established by TPDDL in association with Electrical and Development Association (ERDA), which was jointly established by electricity utilities, Government of India and Government of Gujarat. ERDA is also accredited by NABL, an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The testing will be conducted by engineers from ERDA using their own equipment for enhanced transparency and credibility. Some of the key features of the lab include:

Meter to be unsealed in front of the consumer.

Meter to be tested in front of the consumer.

Meter segregation (if required) to take place in front of the consumer.

Reports of evidences to be prepared in front of the consumer.

Signed report to be handed to the consumer.

“We are confident that the new meter testing lab, which is independently run by a government accredited organisation, will provide a more credible and transparent platform to those consumers who have been booked under meter tampering / power theft cases to have a fair assessment right before their eyes and can see the results for themselves. This initiative is aimed to dispel any misconstrued notions that any consumer may have regarding credibility of testing of meters which are booked in power theft cases,” said Praveer Sinha, CEO and ED, TPDDL.

Mr Yusuf praised the new state-of-the-art facility and said that it will go a long way in building consumer confidence about the fair and transparent practices adopted by TPDDL. He also said that meter tested by an independent body will help the consumers in settling their theft cases in a fair manner.

Mr Yusuf also inaugurated a new 25MVA power transformer in Rohini. The new power transformer further augments the reliability of power supply and will meet the increase in load demand of close to 30,000 consumers including critical consumers such as Jaipur Golden Hospital in Rohini, which will be powered from this transformer. Mr Yusuf, while inaugurating the facility, commended TPDDL on constantly using world-class technology while augmenting distribution assets. He also added that the capacity addition will be beneficial during the coming summer months in ensuring stable and reliable supply of power to the consumers.