No haste over rythu discom decision, says CMD

Hyderabad: Telangana Rythu Power Distribution Company Limited (TGRPDCL) chairman and managing director Musharraf Faruqui said the govt has taken the decision to create the third discom for farmers in July 2025 itself and not taken in a hurried manner. He said the new discom was aimed at to increase the operational efficiency of the discoms as the present two discoms – Southern and Northern – have been recording higher losses, especially Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, which, at 19.8%, is reportedly one of the highest in the country.Giving a detailed presentation at Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (TGERC) public hearing on the creation of TGRPDCL on Friday, the CMD said agricultural connections, lift irrigation schemes, water supply schemes come under the new discom’s limit.On the necessity of the creation of a third discom, he said the Southern and Northern discoms are experiencing financial difficulties and sub-optimal operational efficiency ever since their formation.The CMD said as of now, farmers are facing problems with aged conductors, poles, increased risk of electrical accidents, distribution transformers failures (at a rate of 8.3%), delay in repairs and voltage issues, leading to pump failures, repair and replacement costs, etc.Faruqui said that under the new discom, there would be dedicated manpower to serve the agricultural consumers, which helps improve grievance redressal, along with better electricity supply quality and enhanced safety for agriculture consumers.