Replicate Maha, Delhi power supply model, says Goa Inc

Panaji: Pointing out that the Goa electricity department’s 24x7 supply promise and compensation clauses are only good on paper, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has urged JERC to nudge the department to replicate Maharashtra and Delhi. GCCI said the electricity department uses excuses of “force majeure”, grid failure, maintenance or “unavoidable circumstances” to avoid paying manufacturing units and commercial establishments compensation during power cuts.

GCCI has also said that Goa’s power department has a 24-hour window to restore power, which is too long. “GCCI wants that time limit reduced. So if power isn’t back within, say, 6-8 hours, compensation starts automatically,” said a GCCI official. The chamber’s representation comes in response to JERC’s draft ‘Specific Conditions of Transmission and Distribution Licence’ for electricity department, govt of Goa regulations, 2026, which GCCI has broadly welcomed. The draft mandates 24x7 uninterrupted supply.

But GCCI’s support comes with pointed conditions. The chamber has asked JERC to ensure that compensation paid to consumers is not quietly recovered through future tariff hikes and that accountability is instead fixed on the officials or persons responsible for the power failure or power outage.

“Right now, JERC’s rules say the electricity department doesn’t have to pay compensation if an outage is caused by things like “force majeure”, grid failure, maintenance or “unavoidable circumstances”. Those exclusions are so broad that EDG can claim almost any long outage falls under them,” the GCCI official said.

In its representation, GCCI pointed to Delhi and Maharashtra as models worth replicating. Delhi’s regulator requires power to be restored within one hour of an unscheduled outage. If the discom fails, consumers receive Rs 50 per hour for the first two hours and Rs 100 per hour thereafter. Maharashtra’s rules mandate restoration within three to six hours, with compensation of Rs 10 per kW of sanctioned load per hour after the deadline, capped at Rs200 per hour per consumer.