The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for the State of Goa and Union Territories issued amendment regulations regarding the JERC, State of Goa and Union Territories (Standards of Performance for Distribution Licensees) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2024.
These amendment regulations apply to the entirety of Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Darjeeling, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. The amendments introduce new indices that distribution licensees must use to measure their performance. These include:
- Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI),
- Customer Average Interruption Frequency Index (CAIFI),
- Momentary Average Interruption Frequency Index (MAIFI),
- System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), and
- System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI)
Licensees are responsible for calculating and must report reliability performance indices and make this information available on their websites.
Licensees must compensate affected consumers according to the regulations if they fail to meet specified performance standards. They are obligated to adjust bills to provide compensation within 90 days.
Consumers have the option to seek redress through the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) if compensation is not paid. Licensees must establish an online platform within six months for consumers to lodge grievances and seek compensation. Information about this platform is to be disseminated widely.
Licensees are encouraged to implement a unified CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to improve tracking and analyzing requested and pending services.
Additionally, they must promote consumer rights, performance standards, compensation guidelines, and other schemes to enhance public awareness.
For new electricity connections, timelines are set at 3 days for Metro Cities, 7 days for Urban Areas, 15 days for Rural Areas, and 30 days for Rural Islands upon receipt of applications. Meter-related services include testing within 30 days of complaint, replacing burnt meters within 6 hours followed by permanent replacement within 15 days, and addressing defective meters within 15 days of detection.
Restoration times for power supply faults range from 4 hours to 48 hours depending on the nature and location of the issue.
Consumers can claim compensation for delays in billing, resolving billing complaints, addressing meter issues, power supply failures, restoring power after faults, managing voltage fluctuations, and fixing distribution network problems.
The regulations specify compensation amounts ranging from Rs. 40/- to Rs. 500/- per day or hour of delay. The process for providing temporary connections to consumers is streamlined, with a requirement for connections to be provided within 48 hours and through pre-paid meters.
