APERC Issues Show-Cause Notice To Prakasam District Collector

PRAKASAM: In an unprecedented move, the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) served a show-cause notice to Prakasam district Collector Pola Bhaskar. The APERC reacted furiously over a complaint by a farmer who alleged inaction and non-compliance by the collector with regard to a dispute pertaining to the electricity corridor. The collector was given seven days to respond to the notice and give his explanation.

The commission issued the notice to the collector for his alleged continued inaction over a complaint from the farmer, V Venkata Sheshaiah. The petitioner had sought compensation for the damage caused to his crop to an extent of 80 cents of farm land on account of the erection of electric lines through it. The power line was erected as part of the 220KV electric corridor between Podili and Parchur by Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (APTransco) in 2017. Despite repeated requests by the farmer, the authorities refused to pay the compensation. Vexed with the official apathy, he later approached the district collector over the issue. But with the collector also repeatedly turning a blind eye to his concerns, Venkata Sheshaiah knocked at the doors of APERC on March 5 for justice.

The commission noted that two notices sent to the district collector seeking his views on the issue remained unanswered. On the other hand, APTransco claimed that there was no crop in the land and maintained that no compensation needed to be paid.

Taking a serious note of this, the commission cracked the whip against the district collector and served the show-cause notice on him. In its notice, the commission remarked, “It is regrettable that a functionary of the rank of the district collector has ignored the two notices sent by the commission in connection with the grievance of the owner of the land over which the electric line has been laid with regard to non-determination of compensation.”

 The APERC move has stunned the administrative circles as it is very rare for any top official of the district collector to be served a show-cause notice on charges of inaction.