Rs 1.55 crore loss due to DTU's failure in assessing power requirement: CAG report

NEW DELHI: Failure of the Delhi Technological University (DTU) to assess the sanctioned electricity load in consonance with the actual requirement resulted in excess expenditure of Rs 1.55 crore in 20 months, the CAG report has said. In its defence, the DTU has said it is a research and innovation university and conducts various researches, which require "ascertained availability" of electricity all the time. It was therefore necessary that the sanctioned load be available to the university in case of any unforeseen circumstances, it added.

However, the CAG report said the explanation did not hold merit as there was no such uncertainty in the electricity required for the DTU. The CAG report was tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday. The report said the DTU's audit scrutiny of the records revealed that the actual demand for electric power (maximum load) ranged between 756 to 1,866 kilowatt, 679-1,962 KW and 714-2,042 KW during the years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.

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DTU has a domestic electricity connection with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) with a sanctioned load of 4,256 KW. The bills have a fixed component based on the sanctioned load and a variable component on the basis of actual electric consumption. If the sanctioned load is more than the requirement, there is excess expenditure on account of increased fixed charges. "In spite of the actual requirement remaining much below the sanctioned load of 4,256 KW, DTU did not take any action to approach the licensee to reduce the sanctioned load so as to avoid payment of fixed charges on excess sanctioned load," it said.

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In May 2018, TPDDL had discussed with DTU about reducing the sanctioned load for the billing period beginning July 2018 as the maximum demand in 2017-18 required a sanctioned load of only 1,709 KW against the existing 4,256 KW. However, DTU did not take any action to give consent for the reduction in the sanctioned load and continued to pay electricity charges on the sanctioned load of 4,256 KW, thereby incurring an avoidable expenditure of Rs 1.55 crore from July 2018 to March 2020. The report also said according to the regulations, the sanctioned load can be increased on the basis of actual consumption if the need arises.