Soon, opt for services of the power company of your choice

Peeved at your power distribution company's high tariffs or poor quality of service? A change may be on hand, with the Centre planning to provide choice to consumers to choose electricity suppliers. The Union power ministry has introduced amendments to the Electricity Act in Parliament. These amendments will destroy such monopolies in the power sector, and give end-users the ability to make a choice in terms of the distribution company. This will be along the lines of the choice to switch to another telecom company in case they are unhappy.

The proposed change in the law will also ensure competition and make available affordable power and better services to customers.

"We have introduced these amendments in the winter session of the Parliament and they have been referred to the standing committee on power," said Piyush Goyal, union minister of state (independent charge) for power, coal and new and renewable energy, adding, "We hope to pass this in the second half of the budget session," Goyal said.

He said that 1 crore bulbs and 5 lakh street lights in Delhi would be replaced with low energy consuming LEDs in one year, and similar replacement programs would be initiated in Mumbai and other cities to save around 10,000 MW in peak hours and over Rs 10,000 crore eventually.