Cannot decide policy matters: GERC

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has refused to intervene in the issue of validity of Government Resolution by saying that it has no jurisdiction to decide policy matters. As per the case details, the Gujarat Krishi Vij Grahak Suraksha Sangh of Visnagar filed a petition before GERC to direct the electricity companies to grant electric connections under the Tatkal Scheme to help poor farmers in several tribal areas notified as Dark Zone Area.

The petitioner contended that the government introduced the scheme to grant electric connections against applications pending up to August 10, 2010 to help marginalized farmers that do not get canal irrigation facilities.

The state government had surveyed in 1997 looking at the lower level of ground water and declared certain areas as Dark Zone that had critical water level. To protect over-exploitation of water resources in these areas, the government came up with a resolution, which was the subject matter of the challenge.