SC Justice Ramana praised APERC Chairman

Amaravati, June 13: The Supreme Court Justice N.V. Ramana has stressed that, some laws are approved without considering main key rules on Monday, after releasing here a bilingual manual containing details of the A.P. Electricity Regulatory Commission's (APERC) 'Compensation to Victims of Electrical Accidents Regulation No. 2 of 2017'.

Justice Ramana appreciated APERC Chairman G.Bhavani Prasad and his team for bringing out the new regulation saying it was an initiative that should serve as a beacon to power utilities in other States at a time when claims to compensation were dismissed outright on the ground that there was no provision for it under the Indian Electricity Act, 2003 and the Indian Telegraph Act.

The 'Regulation No. 2 of 2017' mandates payment of a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for death, Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh for physical disability and Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 1 lakh for injuries caused by electrical accidents.

The onus of proving that there is no negligence has been shifted from the victims to the power utilities.

Justice Ramana said farmers were a neglected lot and the silver lining was governments had in recent times been acting responsibly.

However, be it electricity reforms or the general economic shift, the governments should ensure that the benefits reached the targeted sections lest the very purpose of reforms is defeated.

"It is unfortunate that farmers are dying during agitations over the lack of remunerative prices for their produce. This is a matter of serious concern," Justice Ramana added.