DEC-15: CERC NEWS
CERC NEWS
GERC chairperson from judiciary
CERS won a long fought battle recently on the appointment of Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) chairperson. It had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Gujarat High Court on the matter. Gujarat and other state governments were appointing retired IAS officers/bureaucrats as chairpersons of GERC. CERS wrote to the Ministry of Power for suitable amendment in Section 84 (2) of the Electricity Act making it mandatory for all state governments to appoint GERC chairperson from the judiciary.
The Gujarat High Court passed a final order on 8 October 2015 directing the Government of Gujarat to appoint GERC Chairperson from among sitting/retired high court judges or district judge with five years experience or senior advocate with ten years experience within three months from the date of the order.
Meanwhile, CERS will continue its objective in getting a suitable amendment in the Electricity Act to make sure that all 22 State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) in the country have chairpersons from the judiciary. If required, we will represent before the Prime Minister on the issue.
Organic food guide prepared
Organic food is now a regular feature at most supermarkets. It is also sold extensively online. However, there is a dearth of reliable information on organic food. In such a situation, consumers may end up not buying organic food or buying food which may not be genuinely organic.
CERC, under Green Action Fund 2015 project, released a guide book An Organic Food Guide for Consumers. The book will answer frequently asked questions on location of shops/farms selling organic food, labels and standards, certification programmes, online stores and more. Consumers will be able to compare prices of organic food products and thereby get value for money. This easy to understand and informative guide will demystify the whole subject of organic food for consumers. It will also be useful to manufacturers to showcase their products on a single platform.
Hands-on ENVIS training programme
A two-day Customised Hands-on Bhuvan Training Programme for ENVIS Centres was held at Shillong, Meghalaya hosted by ENVIS Secretariat and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) at North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC), Umiam, Shillong on 19th and 20th November, 2015. Around 23 participants from 16 thematic as well as State/UT ENVIS Centres participated in the programme. Mr. Milan Soni attended the training from CERC.
Sr. Scientist, NESAC, Dr. K. K. Sharma, welcomed all the participants and highlighted the significance of environmental information. He said he was happy to serve the general public by giving proper guidance and accurate information using such applications and information resources.
Mr. Sujithkumar, Dy. Director and Mr. Ravi Goswami, Sr. Web Developer, were present from the ENVIS Cell, MoEF&CC. Senior scientists Mr. Naresh Nagmule and Dr. Suresh Babu were appointed for this training from NRSC, ISRO, Hyderabad.
Call for amendment in CGRF regulations
In a representation before GERC, CERS has demanded amendment in Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) Regulations so that GERC can select and appoint CGRF chairperson from among retired judges/retired senior judicial officers or retired civil servants not below the rank of collector or retired senior electrical engineers not below the rank of chief engineer having experience of distribution of electricity.
CERS has submitted details of the CGRFs of all the DISCOMs of Gujarat where chairpersons are retired chief engineers from the same or sister DISCOMs. CERS has questioned how they can pass orders against DISCOMs where they have served for more than two decades.
