Latest news with #Talewar
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
New Smart Meters Will Remain Postpaid, Not Prepaid: MSEDCL Director Talewar
Nagpur: Amid growing speculation over the smart meters being installed across Maharashtra, director (operations and projects) Sachin Talewar clarified that the meters are strictly postpaid — not prepaid. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking at a regional review meeting held at Vidyut Bhavan in Nagpur, Talewar said the new smart meters will function like traditional meters but with added communication capabilities, that will allow consumers to monitor and manage their electricity usage more efficiently. Dispelling concerns that consumers would need to recharge their meters in advance, Talewar assured that there is no shift to a prepaid model. "Consumers will continue to receive bills as before and, in case of payment defaults, the 15-day advance disconnection notice rule will still apply," he said. Talewar also added that the smart meters are designed to increase transparency and allow customers to track real-time usage via a mobile app, giving them greater control over their electricity consumption. During the meeting, which brought together officials from Nagpur, Gondia, Chandrapur, Amravati, and Akola divisions, Talewar emphasised the need for uninterrupted power supply and swift redressal of consumer grievances. He directed field officials to ensure complete recovery of pending dues by the end of June, noting a significant increase in arrears since March. Current monthly demands must also be fully recovered, he stressed. Talewar raised concerns over technical anomalies such as inaccurate customer mapping, load shifting irregularities, and multiplier factor issues — all of which contribute to abnormal losses. He ordered immediate rectification. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He also called for a rapid verification drive of multiple connections registered at the same address to prevent billing and theft-related complications. As solar projects under various state and central schemes gather momentum, Talewar instructed that all system-strengthening work be completed before these projects are commissioned. He emphasised that agencies involved in these works must be provided with adequate material and manpower and that the quality of work must be uncompromised. Talewar also reviewed the status of several key initiatives, including the Chief Minister's Solar Agricultural Feeder Scheme, the demand-based solar pump program, daytime power supply for farmers, and the Prime Minister's Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme. The discussion included progress on feeder separation, solar village models, substation upgrades, maintenance of high-loss feeders, and cases where electricity connections remain pending despite payment. The review meeting was attended by chief engineers Suhas Rangari, Dilip Dodke, Harish Gajbe, and Rajesh Naik; superintending engineers Amit Paranjpe, Mangesh Vaidya, Sanjeev Wakade, Anil Wakode, Deepak Devhate; and all executive engineers from Nagpur city.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Upgraded hotmix plant functional, yet tender floated to asphalt road
1 2 3 Nagpur: Even as the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) recently commissioned its hotmix plant at Hingna after a long-overdue upgrade, the public works department (PWD) floated a tender for Rs24.73 lakh to asphalt a road in Shanti Niketan Colony in the Laxmi Nagar zone. The move sparked criticism, as the internal tar road is in a poor condition and residents were demanding immediate repairs, which the plant was expected to handle efficiently. Just a few weeks ago, a committee led by officiating chief engineer Manoj Talewar certified the new counter flow drum mix plant as fully functional. A comprehensive inspection on May 5, conducted by a six-member committee including officials from mechanical and hotmix departments, found all components such as the thermodrum unit, bitumen storage tanks, cold feeder and control cabin systems aligned with technical specifications. During the trial, the plant produced a batch of bituminous mix (BM), which was found satisfactory. Only a minor issue of noise from the thermodrum's chain drive was noted and rectified with lubrication. Additionally, samples were tested and calibrated by a third-party lab, confirming the quality output of the plant. With civic complaints rising and citizens demanding better infrastructure, NMC's decision to outsource a road project even after certifying its plant as operational raised serious concerns about administrative efficiency and public accountability. However, Talewar defended the tender stating that "the plant has only recently become operational and is yet to run at full capacity." Ironically, the audit report signed by Talewar himself had confirmed the smooth functioning of the plant. The new plant, capable of producing 60-90 tonnes of asphalt per hour (up from the previous 30 tonnes), was projected to significantly reduce NMC's dependency on private contractors. Citing an example, an NMC official said that a 700-metre stretch at Manish Nagar was asphalted at a cost of Rs35 lakh by deploying services of the old hot-mix plant last year, while private firms would have quoted Rs1.5 crore for the same work. The 25-year-old unit was dismantled and the upgraded facility was completed ahead of its May deadline by installing a modern Light Diesel Oil (LDO)-based drum mix plant. It was seen as a major step toward achieving transparency, quality control, and cost-effectiveness in roadwork, especially considering that NMC spends over Rs95 crore annually on outsourcing road repairs, compared to Rs5 crore on in-house operations. A pre-monsoon survey by the hot mix department identified 497 potholes and 159 bad roads across the 10 zones, excluding roads managed by other agencies like the Nagpur Improvement Trust and the National Highways Authority of India. Subsequently, it sought details of bad roads from the zonal offices. None of the zones have so far submitted the lists of bad roads or potholes with locations, confirmed the official.
