CAG meets power discoms, auditing yet to kickstart
21 Jan 2014 5:32 AM IST
Three teams of auditors from the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on Monday visited the offices of Delhi’s three private power distribution companies, BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna and Delhi Tata Power Supply Limited, to kick-start the scrutiny of their financial accounts. However, the audit process could not begin.
The process of audit on the finances of discoms, on the request of the state government, was to begin on Monday. The maiden visit of the auditors lasted a few hours with the terms of reference (ToR) for the audit yet to be firmed up, according to an official close to the development.
The former Congress government had passed an order in 2011, for an audit of the discoms by the CAG. However, these discoms had filed petitions in Delhi High Court over the period from when these records were to be audited.
However, a CAG official said the audit came to a halt after the discoms sent a letter to the national auditor alleging, ‘The audit was not legal. The government will now have to secure an order from the court allowing the process to begin’. The issue of CAG audit is currently pending in the Delhi High Court.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had requested an audit alleging that the three discoms, BSES Yamuna, BSES Rajdhani and Tata Delhi Distribution (TPDDL), manipulate accounts to seek tariff hikes.
Discoms contest the charge and challenged the CAG’s authority to conduct the audit of their books. Over the past two weeks, these discoms have disputed the government’s claim of revenue from aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) loss reduction. They have also rejected the allegations of undisclosed revenue from surplus power.
The audit will cover the period since 2002, when power distribution was privatised in the national capital, and the process could take six months.
The process of audit on the finances of discoms, on the request of the state government, was to begin on Monday. The maiden visit of the auditors lasted a few hours with the terms of reference (ToR) for the audit yet to be firmed up, according to an official close to the development.
The former Congress government had passed an order in 2011, for an audit of the discoms by the CAG. However, these discoms had filed petitions in Delhi High Court over the period from when these records were to be audited.
However, a CAG official said the audit came to a halt after the discoms sent a letter to the national auditor alleging, ‘The audit was not legal. The government will now have to secure an order from the court allowing the process to begin’. The issue of CAG audit is currently pending in the Delhi High Court.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had requested an audit alleging that the three discoms, BSES Yamuna, BSES Rajdhani and Tata Delhi Distribution (TPDDL), manipulate accounts to seek tariff hikes.
Discoms contest the charge and challenged the CAG’s authority to conduct the audit of their books. Over the past two weeks, these discoms have disputed the government’s claim of revenue from aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) loss reduction. They have also rejected the allegations of undisclosed revenue from surplus power.
The audit will cover the period since 2002, when power distribution was privatised in the national capital, and the process could take six months.
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