CAG in association with the Consumer Rights Movement working on a project “Accelerating Clean Energy Transition By Improving Stakeholder Participation For Electricity Governance In India” in Tamil Nadu. The project is designed to facilitate consumer and civil society organization involvement in the electricity sector.
Consumer Rights Movement will set up five Local Electricity Forums in Tamil Nadu. A local electricity forum is a platform where stakeholders in a specific region or community come together to discuss issues, concerns, and ideas related to the electricity sector. These forums aim to create dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among various stakeholders, including consumers, civil society organisations. The local electricity forum convenes monthly meetings as a core activity to deliberate and resolve electricity-related issues within the community.
During the meeting Mr. J.M. Boopathi, Founder, Consumer Rights Movement, provided a detailed explanation of the purpose behind organizing local electricity forums in urban areas. He emphasized the power of collective action over individual efforts and stressed the significant impact that establishing a forum to address everyday electricity issues could have.
Local Electricity Forum meeting at Swarnapuri, Salem district (May 12, 2024)
The program, which took place on May 12, 2024, had 40 participants from various consumer categories. Mr. Govindan, a retired TANGEDCO official, explained the importance of raising awareness about the electricity sector, particularly about the distribution company. TANGEDCO, a distribution company in Tamil Nadu, is responsible for providing electricity to all consumers and also deals with distribution related electricity issues.
Participant airing his views on electricity issues in Salem
During the event, Mr. Jayaraman, a retired official from TANGEDCO, shared valuable information about the electricity tariff rates and also demonstrated how the electricity bill is calculated based on these rates. Furthermore, he also highlighted the availability of online services for new service connections, changing tariff plans, transferring account names, and accessing other services offered by TANGEDCO.
TANGEDCO Officials, Participants and experts in the event being felicitated
At the meeting, participants raised questions about the various charges collected such as the additional security deposit and development charges. Towards the end of the meeting, all participants shared their personal experiences and grievances related to electricity issues.