MERC to no longer record proceedings, consumers vexed

The body which is meant to protect consumer interests and ensure transparency is looking at the other side. The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), on September 4, has passed a resolution that they would discontinue the practice of recording of proceedings audio/video form before the Commission. They will also destroy all recordings made until now.

This has irked consumer activists and power experts who claim that this will muzzle their voice and transparency in the system will be affected. This comes at a time when Supreme Court is talking about live streaming of its proceedings.

In a one-page resolution passed, the Commission stated that henceforth the proceedings before the Commission will not be recorded in the audio/video format. To make matters worse, the quasi-judicial body has decided not to provide any recorded audio/video CDs to the members of public and that the recordings were done till date be eliminated in due course of time as it is not part of the official record.

The consumer activists state that this is more than a bureaucratic decision and shall have ramifications on the public at large. "At a time when Supreme Court is talking about live streaming of court proceedings, the MERC has gone a step back and blocking transparency," said Pratap Hogade, power expert and consumer expert.

The whole point of recording a proceeding — be it public hearing or technical ones is that the Commission could refer to it and it gets properly documented. In the past, there have been instances where the Commission redid a hearing as the audio system had failed.

The recordings were till now available to the public through the Right to Information Act. These also showed the views of the power companies who talk about the electricity supplied, profits/losses and plans for improving electric supply to the public at large. Now all this will be lost too.

"Nowadays we are even barred to make powerpoint presentations in front of the MERC that contains facts and figures," said Ashok Pendse, power expert. In 2013, the then Chairman of MERC, VP Raja had opined that transparency in the system was compromised due to lack of recording and cited Section 86 (3) of Indian Electricity Act, 2003.

ROAD STOPS HERE

• Recordings were till now available to the public through the Right to Information Act. 
   
• These also showed the views of the power companies who talk about the electricity supplied, profits/losses and plans for improving electric supply to the public at large.