The USAID Power Distribution Program has devised a strategy for further trainings on commercial procedures optimization for meter readers and meter superintendents of power distribution companies (DISCOs).
Official’s privy to the development told that the objective of these trainings is to improve the commercial procedures and efficiency of DISCOs. The key topics under discussion are “Improved Meter Reading” and “Meter Change Process” and finding ways to bring improvements to DISCOs’ existing procedures by streamlining the flow of documents and eliminating redundancies without compromising transparency and accountability. USAID has already trained more than 250 meter readers of DISCOs in the first half of 2012.
Officials told that currently training is being held at Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) where all the meter readers, meter reader supervisors, line supervisors of the City Division of GEPCO are participating. The primary group will be the meter readers of Model Town subdivision who will be implementing the Improved Meter Reading (IMR) project starting in September.
The training involves hands-on work identifying the type of meter and the specific method to read the different meters. The training will result in improvement in the performance of meter readers with more transparent meter reading, which will not only reduce redundancy in the DISCO’s daily work but it will help in avoiding mistakes at billing cycles and providing customers with an accurate monthly electricity bill.
In this regard, Judy Burnet, a representative of USAID Power Distribution on the occasion said that improved commercial procedures and understanding of the benefits of adherence to them can lead to better utilization and that will provide improved revenue, reduced non-technical losses and increased customer satisfaction for the DISCO.
The USAID Power Distribution Program is a four and a half year, USAID-funded program aimed at working jointly with government-owned DISCOs in Pakistan to improve their performance in terms of a reduction in losses, and improvement in both revenues and customer services, to bring them to the level of well-run utilities in other progressive countries. Through this program, the United States Government provides assistance and support to the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to reform the power sector to end the current energy crisis.
