Nasir Azam
Ending the suspense, the Government of India on Monday ordered that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories will have a joint electricity regulatory commission and its headquarters shall be located in the same city as that of the office of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Nearly eight months after the re-organisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, the Union Power Ministry today ordered that J&K and Ladakh UTs will have a joint electricity regulatory commission.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section 5 of section 83 of Central Electricity Act, 2003, the Central Government hereby constitutes a Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with effect from the date of publication of this notification in the Gazette of India,” reads a notification issued by Union Power Ministry, a copy of which lies with, news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO)
The quasi-judicial body is empowered to decide on power tariff, grievances of consumers, and other issues of the power sector.
According to the notification, the Joint Commission shall be known as Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.
It further states that its headquarter shall be located at the same city as that of the office of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission of the erstwhile state of J&K was winded up days before J&K and Ladakh UTs came into existence. The Commission was abolished because the law under which it was created was repealed by the Parliament on August 5.
Before its abolition, the commission was headed by Lok Sabha and its members were Muhammad Rafi Andrabi and Ajay Gupta.
Its chairman and members were appointed on recommendations of a search committee comprising Chief Secretary, Administrative Secretary PDD, Administrative Secretary Law and a member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission—(KNO)
