The Delhi Government's Department of Women and Child Development has paid an extra Rs.18.66 lakh towards its power bills. according to the latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. It said the Department ended up paying more to an electricity company after failing to review its bills and making payment of fixed charges at non-domestic rates instead of domestic rates.
“Rule 5 of order on Annual Revenue Requirement for Financial Year 2005-06 and determination of retail supply of tariffs for BSES Yamuna Power Limited by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission of July 2002 inter-alia states that dispensaries and hospitals, working women's hostels, orphanages, charitable homes run by the MCD and the Delhi Government will be billed at domestic rates, if the premises are used exclusively for the purposes specified,” the report states.
The Audit found that the 11 observations homes and a medical care unit, collectively Children's Home for Girls–II located in Nirmal Chhaya Parisar, were all drawing power from a common connection. They paid a power bill of Rs.19.91 lakh as fixed charges from November 2002 to January 2009 against the total payable amount of Rs.1.25 lakh as per applicable rates.
Similarly, the Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation's failure to get a completion certificate for the Guru Nanak Dev Polytechnic even after nine years of occupation of the building resulted in extra expenditure of Rs.42.65 lakh on water charges at high rates.
The report states that the DSIDC (now DSIIDC) constructed a building at Rohini in 1997-98 and it was occupied by the polytechnic in 1998. “However, the completion certificate in respect of the building had not been obtained as of March 2009.”
On the basis of a request made in August 2009, DDA provided a temporary water connection. The Polytechnic had to pay water charges at three times the normal rate in the absence of a completion certificate. “GNDP paid water charges amounting to Rs.63.98 lakh during March 2002-February 2008 at three times the normal rate, which resulted in extra payment of Rs.42.65 lakh. Records relating to the period from August 1999 to February 2002 were not made available,” the report says.
