Report of Indian Institute of Public Administration ... - Ministry of Power

Open Access
Synopsis of State Reports (Vol.-IV)
Study on `Impact of Restructuring of SEBs’
The Regulations for Open Access have been notified by HERC. HVPNL,
which acts as the nodal agency, has finalised the norms and procedures for the
application of short-term Open Access. The Open Access has been allowed
w.e.f. 1 October 2006 for consumers with contract demand of 15 MVA and
above. The surcharge to be levied by the DISCOMs is yet to be specified and
this will delay the implementation of Open Access and introduction of
competition in distribution and retail supply of electricity.
2.6. RECOMMENDATIONS AND WAY FORWARD
2.6.1 State Government and Governance Issues
Support of the State Government is essential for the success of power sector
reforms. There should be an unequivocal commitment to change so that the
reforms undertaken succeed. The Government support, in the transition period,
should not only be in terms of handholding for providing equity support and
financial support for subsidy but also for defining the roles and accountabilities
of various stakeholders in the reform process.
Imperatives of the reforms demand focussed attention on keeping the reforms
on course with positive support by the State Government. The gradualism in
the approach to reforms has given space to those who are opposed to reforms or
those who perceive a threat to their vested interests. An effective strategy
should be designed and implemented meticulously to counter the opposition to
reforms and accelerate the pace of reforms in the distribution sector.
The encouragement to civil society and closer involvement of advocacy groups
in the reform process will help in bringing better understanding of the issues
and problems specific to the power sector of Haryana. An effective
communication strategy will greatly help in creating a positive atmosphere for
the reform process and to bring about wider public support for the same.
Ideally, the Government’s approach should be to facilitate the corporate
organisational structure of the Utilities with adequate financial and functional
autonomy. Also, the Government nominees on the Boards of the Utilities
should be kept to the minimum and they must have sufficient experience in the
power sector.
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